Extreme Championship Wrestling Returning to TV

Dynasty · #1 05-23-2006, 06:34 PM

I was never a fan of ECW. But, I know quite a few OOT posters were. Here's a story I just came across.

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Sci-Fi Network and WWE will be issuing a press release that ECW will be airing on the network this summer. There is one timeslot open on the Sci-Fi online schedule for June - Tuesday nights from 10-11 p.m. That slot is listed as TBA, but the rest of the schedule is full. There was an ECW section started on Sci-Fi's message board, but it has since been deleted by the network, either meaning the deal has fallen through (less likely) or they want to wait for an official announcement before having anything that appears to be an official acknowledgment of ECW coming to the network (more likely). The Sci-Fi Network is part of the NBC Universal family.

The link is popup heaven

jagoff · #2 05-23-2006, 06:36 PM

bar none. the greatest wrestling on the face of the earth

obsidian · #3 05-23-2006, 06:38 PM

Why watch wresting when there are now a ton of much more entertaining MMA programs on TV?

gusmahler · #4 05-23-2006, 06:39 PM

FWIW, WWE owns the trademark to ECW. This show would be put on by WWE.

See
http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/

gusmahler · #5 05-23-2006, 06:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Why watch wresting when there are now a ton of much more entertaining MMA programs on TV?

[/ QUOTE ]

Because they are completely different types of programs.

Because one can watch more than one TV show.

4thstreetpete · #6 05-23-2006, 07:36 PM

People who chant ECW at WWE shows nowadays make me laugh. Of those who say they are ECW fans, how many of them were actually watching the ECW tv shows back when they were on TNN? Apparently not many, because they were doing less than a 1 in the ratings during the last dying days of ECW.

And to be frank the last 2 years or so of ECW were really not all that great. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fond but back then the only thing that was really great about it was all the backstage drama with Paul Heyman and the network. Paul felt the TNN was really giving ECW the shaft (which they kinda were) and Paul actually went on air and ripped on the televison network that was actually running their program, amazing!

This was a complete shoot and I thought this was the coolest thing I've seen on TV. It really made for good television to hear some of the things Paul was saying and it was in fact what he felt. It was great if you knew what was actually going on behind the scenes and it wasn't soon after that ECW was dead.

ECW as a whole was a great product especially the early years but they really did only appeal to a very niche market. If you like ECW back then, this new ECW won't be the same as it once were because WWE now owns it. They're no longer the rebel that was trying to survive against the Big 2 (WWE and WCW) anymore.

I'll hold off on my thoughts about the new direction they are going because I do kinda like what WWE is doing. Looks like they are putting some serious push behind it and not the ugly debacle that was the "WCW invasion". And for the people who don't like the new direction ECW is going because it won't be like the ECW of old needs to get over it. Once Vince bought ECW, it was already over. The ECW we knew was gone. Time change and things change. The wrestling landscape is so different now that you'll never have the cult indie feel of ECW anymore.

John Cena is going to have a REAL 'rough' night at the ECW arena. It'll be a massacre, yikes.

SharkTank43 · #7 05-23-2006, 07:57 PM

When is that ECW One Night Stand pay per view? June 11th or something? Looks pretty solid so far, with Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Justin Credible, and Rhyno supposedly slated to make appearences, as well as the title match between Cena and Rob Van Dam.

BarronVangorToth · #8 05-23-2006, 08:13 PM

[ QUOTE ]
People who chant ECW at WWE shows nowadays make me laugh. Of those who say they are ECW fans, how many of them were actually watching the ECW tv shows back when they were on TNN? Apparently not many, because they were doing less than a 1 in the ratings during the last dying days of ECW.

[/ QUOTE ]

As someone who went to 100+ live ECW shows over their history (even before they were called EXTREME Championship Wrestling), I don't have a problem with people coming to love the product in hindsight.

There are books and movies I appreciate that I wasn't alive to see and read firsthand when they debuted, that doesn't mean I can't like them now.

With WWE putting out amazing ECW collections, it's only natural many will be turned onto the product now, as it was a glorious time in the industry.

While it won't have the same "bingo hall" feel anymore, I'm not sure that's a bad thing -- ECW was great then ... and I'm sure a new ECW can be great now, featuring a few of the great names of yore (Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, etc. etc.) along with some of the new faces in wrestling (CM Punk and guys coming out of OVW, not to mention it would be great if they could hire an AJ Styles or a Christopher Daniels).

In short: the more, the merrier ... I can't wait to see what the new ECW is like, especially with Paul Heyman at the helm.

Edge34 · #9 05-23-2006, 08:13 PM

For what its worth, I've kinda fallen off the WWE path over the last few years since Vinny Mac bought up all his competition. Where he screwed up was trying to separate Monday and Friday into two separate "brands", with Friday getting HOSED, in the trifecta of timeslot, storyline, and performers.

I've gotten back into it a little since my roommate is a huge fan, and with this whole "new DX" thing they're starting, plus doing what looks like a mjaor ECW push...its trying to salvage some of the viewers they're likely losing to Jarrett's TNA. That company has a lot wrong with it that WCW had too (booker/owner Jarrett as champ FOREVER), but they at least know how to use most of their talent, like bringing Christian in and pushing him HARD, since he's going to have to be the face of that company as they try to push WWE. They got some people that still have drawing power like the New Age Outlaws too. (Also, random side note - AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels, all high-profile names in TNA, have worked for WWE before and were all let go)

The whole "invasion" angle sucked before, the fans were too smart to believe any of it since its such common knowledge that Vince (and now HHH in a way) own everything. It could either get very entertaining or very, very bad in the next month or two.

BarronVangorToth · #10 05-23-2006, 08:15 PM

[ QUOTE ]
the title match between Cena and Rob Van Dam.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing would make me mark out more than seeing RVD win the title away from Cena ... and then throw the title down, Franchise-style, claiming he doesn't want to be WWE Champion, thus making him (finally) ECW Champion in the new rebirth of the promotion.

The crowd (which I sadly cannot be a part of this time around) would go ballistic with RVD picking off Cena.