What if Paul Heyman were head booker?

[waylonmercy]

Forgive me if there's some reason why he will never be head booker but what if he was. All I have heard from people who have worked for him that booking wise he's very talented.

Do you think TNA Wrestling would be THAT much better if he got involved?

Do you think they would out rate ECW in a short span?

 

[Slyfox696]

If Paul Heyman was head booker, TNA probably would be shot to hell in no time at all. You know, like he did to the original ECW and the reincarnated ECW. Paul Heyman as a booker just doesn't understand what the mass general wrestling fans want, nor does he seem to have any idea how to be able to relate to people he needs to work with.

Paul Heyman in ECW would just be a waste of everyone's time. Just close the doors and shut down the business.

 

[klunderbunker]

If this was an indy company, sure. TNA is a mainstream company though, so no it wouldn't work. Even with the financial backing though, it wouldn't be worth it. Heyman has talent as a booker, but in smaller places like ECW and OVW. On the national scene he has too many things to answer to, like he had to do with Vince, which is why his time there is considered a failure. It wasn't so much his booking, but Vince shooting down a lot of his ideas. You have the same thing like that in TNA, as no one would let Heyman do what works. It's just not a solid idea.

 

[Exist2Inspire51]

What is with the hating on Paul Heyman. Heyman is a creative genius. He made Eastern Championship Wrestling into E.C. Fucking W. He took something small and made it well known with almost no money. If he has control of TNA then he could adapt to what they want and still be able to make gold. If Heyman helped TNA he would be huge.

 

[RikRaines]

Heyman can touch ANYTHING and make it into GOLD, as long as (now follow with me here) he has FULL CREATIVE CONTROL!

The reason why the "real" ECW did so well, is because at the end of the day the only person Paul Heyman had to answer to was Paul Heyman. The only reason why ECW failed was because he sucked at the Finical Aspect of the business.

Unless TNA were to give him FULL CREATIVE CONTROL (meaning NO ONE can over rule what he wants to do), then yes he could turn TNA into something magical again. But face it that won't happen and people would turn down some of his ideas. So it would be a poor move on Heyman's part to even bother.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

Yeh i'm shocked at the Anti-Heyman crew lol

Just look at his time on SmackDown when he was booking. He can clearly book a good show where every wrestler has purpose and a decent angle.

If Heyman were to book TNA, i'm very much sure within a year you'd see some great quality shows. Whether it'd have an impact (excuse the pun) on the ratings is another thing. It sometimes takes a while for word to get round that something is improving, and to invest time in to it.

Selby

 

[TellMeWhy]

Are you people above nuts??!! We're talking about Heyman, a man who made Smackdown the number 1 show with top feuds, a man that turned nothing like Eastern Championship Wrestling into EC Fn W and turned it into a phenomenon, a man who took OVW out of the dump, a man who has created many stars in one way or another. Paul Heyman is a genius! On twitter, he replied 'NEVER' to the article suggesting that TNA should hire him but many took it as meaning that he would NEVER work for them but according to reports he's cleared it up that he's willing to work for TNA so long as he has FULL CREATIVE CONTROL. Paul is willing to do the job! Just give him FULL CONTROL Dixie.

 

[Slyfox696]

What is with the hating on Paul Heyman.

No one is "hating" on Paul Heyman, we're just discussing the truth.

Heyman is a creative genius.

He is? How so? Because he can get people to jump from high places and stab themselves with barb wire? Because he can rip off a business model from FMW from Japan? That's make him a genius?

He made Eastern Championship Wrestling into E.C. Fucking W.

You mean that wrestling company that went out of business approximately half a decade after he took over? Damn what a genius!

He took something small and made it well known with almost no money.

Exactly. And the reason he had no money is because he was a booking failure. But, I guess you've watched the Rise and Fall of ECW, so you know everything.

If he has control of TNA then he could adapt to what they want and still be able to make gold. If Heyman helped TNA he would be huge.

TNA already is huge. They opened their doors only 7 years ago, and they're already the number 2 promotion in America, making a profit, on a national television station, holding monthly PPVs, and presenting a roster with some fairly decent named talent, as well as poaching talent from the minor leagues.

TNA in seven years has done better than anything that Heyman has EVER done.

Heyman can touch ANYTHING and make it into GOLD, as long as (now follow with me here) he has FULL CREATIVE CONTROL!

You mean like that bankrupt ECW company he had?

The reason why the "real" ECW did so well

Wait...it did well? Controlling approximately 1/10th of the available wrestling audience is "doing well"? When the Monday Night Wars are capturing nearly a 10.0 rating, ECW struggled to get a 1.0 rating. And that's doing well?

I believe you're not thinking clearly.

is because at the end of the day the only person Paul Heyman had to answer to was Paul Heyman.

And therein lied the problem.

The only reason why ECW failed was because he sucked at the Finical Aspect of the business.

Yes, whenever you can't book a show that makes money, that is a problem.

LOL, I love people who use this line. Of COURSE he sucked at the financial part, that's why he went out of business! And why did he suck at the financial part? Because he couldn't run a show that made back the money he spent. That does NOT make him a good booker. That makes him a TERRIBLE booker.

Unless TNA were to give him FULL CREATIVE CONTROL (meaning NO ONE can over rule what he wants to do), then yes he could turn TNA into something magical again. But face it that won't happen and people would turn down some of his ideas. So it would be a poor move on Heyman's part to even bother.

Why would TNA give full control to someone who ran himself out of business, is notorious for not getting along with people, and has NEVER done anything successful in wrestling?

Are you people above nuts??!!

Yes, I am. I'm rational, logical, intelligent and sane.

You must be the other guy.

a man that turned nothing like Eastern Championship Wrestling into EC Fn W and turned it into a phenomenon

A phenomenon huh? Since when has generating 10% of the wrestling audience watching your TV show been "a phenomenon"? The WWF and WCW were battling it out on the same night to get their near 10.0 combined rating...ECW could barely get a 1.0 without any competition!

a man who took OVW out of the dump

So much so that the WWE cut ties with OVW as their development league a year and a half after he left to be a failure in ECW.

a man who has created many stars in one way or another.

Really? Name them.

Paul Heyman is a genius!

Not really. I'm sure I could bankrupt a wrestling company if given the chance too.

On twitter, he replied 'NEVER' to the article suggesting that TNA should hire him

Exactly. TNA would NEVER hire Heyman.

Paul is willing to do the job! Just give him FULL CONTROL Dixie.

Yes, Dixie, give full control of your profit-making promotion to the guy who will bankrupt your business. It's sound financial strategy.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I have to agree with Sly and KB. It's important in the wrestling industry to know what your fans want and to relate to people. Heyman did neither of that so he wouldn't make TNA any better. TNA has come a long way in its seven year and I don't see Heyman helping it, but only hurting it.

 

[Reddannihilation]

I'm gonna have to agree with the guys saying no, sure if Heyman was part of TNA's creative team he might do some good, but not as their head booker. Just like Russo, Paul E. has to be monitored, whenever he's been given full control it's lead to some pretty awful results. So Heyman as Head Booker? No, Heyman as a member of TNA's creative staff? It might work, but it's not gonna happen.

 

[RikRaines]

Sly I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you are just another typical Internet Wrestling Smark. Your knowledge of what Paul Heyman has actually accomplished seems to be VERY tainted. I'm actually willing to believe your age in your profile there of "10".

How many wrestlers do you personally know that worked for Paul Heyman or in the business at all? I'll guess zero. Where I've had a very dear and close family friend work for Heyman, Vince, and Turner/Bischoff.

You do know that guys were still working for Heyman and ECW when he was oweing them hundreds of thousands of dollars, right?

Wait...it did well? Controlling approximately 1/10th of the available wrestling audience is "doing well"? When the Monday Night Wars are capturing nearly a 10.0 rating, ECW struggled to get a 1.0 rating. And that's doing well?

Neither Nitro or Raw EVER came close to 10.0 Ratings. Where do you get your knowledge from?

You do realize when ECW was televised, the network it was on could barely be considered a Television Network at that time (TNN Didn't become big until it 1) Changed to Spike TV and 2) Gained RAW to it's line up) and they were pulling those 1.0 Ratings with virtually no advertising, because TNN wouldn't run any advertisement for ECW and on a Station that wasn't available in majority of households at that time. You do also know how the rating system works right?

TNA already is huge. They opened their doors only 7 years ago, and they're already the number 2 promotion in America, making a profit, on a national television station, holding monthly PPVs, and presenting a roster with some fairly decent named talent, as well as poaching talent from the minor leagues.

TNA in seven years has done better than anything that Heyman has EVER done.

As for TNA being the #2 Company in America right now. Do you honestly want to make me laugh. All TNA is a glorified Indy Wrestling Federation. TNA barely pulls a 1.0 rating on the former TNN, which is now Spike TV, a network that has grown IMMENSELY since the time ECW aired on it.

Not saying much for your precious TNA there, when an unadvertised company, with a much much smaller budget, could pull the exact same rating.

THE ONLY REASON TNA is #2 in America is because there are no other "real" wrestling promotions out there. It's that simple my friend.

Exactly. And the reason he had no money is because he was a booking failure. But, I guess you've watched the Rise and Fall of ECW, so you know everything.

Again your lack of actual knowledge amazes me. Heyman's booking was amazing. His problem was he sucked at keep the Finical Books. He had to pay guys more then the company could afford to keep them in ECW and even when he couldn't afford to pay them, guys like the Dudleys, RVD, Sabu, Bigelow continued working for him and ECW until they really needed the pay day again and that's when they left ECW.

At the end of the day, I'm gonna go off on a limb here and say your knowledge of the Wrestling Industry On Screen and Behind the Scene is limited to what you read off of Forums and Websites. Please only talk on matters like this when you actually know what you are talking about and not trying to be some know it all smark who THINKS they know something about the industry.

((Waits patiently for the forum suspension, ban, or warning. Because it happens everytime I point out the truth to people, because people can't handle the truth))

 

[Slyfox696]

Sly I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you are just another typical Internet Wrestling Smark.

Yes, I get accused of that quite often.

Your knowledge of what Paul Heyman has actually accomplished seems to be VERY tainted.

How can you have knowledge of what doesn't exist?

I'm actually willing to believe your age in your profile there of "10".

Why would you think I'm lying?

How many wrestlers do you personally know that worked for Paul Heyman or in the business at all? I'll guess zero.

You'd guess right. Guess how many professional baseball players I personally know that have worked for Bobby Cox. The number is, again, zero.

Clearly, because I don't know anyone who has worked for either man, I can't judge the quality of their work. That's a good line of thinking.

Where I've had a very dear and close family friend work for Heyman, Vince, and Turner/Bischoff.

Congratulations? I have a very dear and close family friend who works as a lawyer. Are we just spouting off who we know now?

You do know that guys were still working for Heyman and ECW when he was oweing them hundreds of thousands of dollars, right?

So, because those wrestlers are dumb, that makes him a great booker? I'm not understanding your point here.

Neither Nitro or Raw EVER came close to 10.0 Ratings. Where do you get your knowledge from?

November 16, 1998:

WCW: 4.3
WWF: 5.5

Total combined rating: 9.8

July 26, 1999:

WCW: 3.4
WWF: 7.1

Total combined rating: 10.5

September 27, 1999:

WCW: 3.0
WWF: 6.8

Total combined rating: 9.8

You're right, never came close.


Oh, and by the way, the week of September 27, 1999, when they combined for a 9.8 rating, ECW in that same week did a .7 on October 1.

Like I said, 10% of the available wrestling audience, on their own separate day. Hell, not even 10%.

You do realize when ECW was televised, the network it was on could barely be considered a Television Network at that time

Yes, after all, it had only been on TV for 16 years. We can't expect that much out of them.

(TNN Didn't become big until it 1) Changed to Spike TV and 2) Gained RAW to it's line up)

So, wait. What you're saying is that wrestling on TNN (and it was TNN when they first moved over) helped make the network big?

So, clearly it's not a case of wrestling on the channel, or even the channel's age. I guess that leaves just the product of ECW...which sucked.

and they were pulling those 1.0 Ratings with virtually no advertising, because TNN wouldn't run any advertisement for ECW and on a Station that wasn't available in majority of households at that time.

You're right. It was clearly Spike's fault. I'm sure the fact that ECW was bankrupt and couldn't afford to advertise at all had NOTHING to do with it.

You do also know how the rating system works right?

Of course.

I'm also aware of the fact that the November 6, 2000 episode of Raw drew a 5.1 rating, and the October 6, 2000 episode of ECW on TNN drew a 0.6. Please explain how the rating system makes up for 4 and a half rating points difference in just one month.

As for TNA being the #2 Company in America right now. Do you honestly want to make me laugh. All TNA is a glorified Indy Wrestling Federation.

Wait a minute...

ECW was great and Heyman was a genius...but TNA is a glorified Indy Wrestling promotion? Is that your position?

TNA barely pulls a 1.0 rating on the former TNN, which is now Spike TV, a network that has grown IMMENSELY since the time ECW aired on it.

TNA regularly pulls in 1.1-1.3 ratings, which represents approximately 1/3 of the available wrestling audience. How good are you at mathematics?

33% > 10%

Which is better?

THE ONLY REASON TNA is #2 in America is because there are no other "real" wrestling promotions out there. It's that simple my friend.

First, I'm not your friend, buddy.

Second, TNA is #2 because they run a good promotion. They started at the same time ROH did, and ROH isn't even in their rearview mirror.

Again your lack of actual knowledge amazes me.

Coming from someone who thinks 10% is greater than 33%, who thinks that one month explains 4 and a half rating points, and who thinks that a company that loses money and goes bankrupt during one of the biggest economic (and wrestling) booms in American history is better than one who is profiting in a major economic recession, I might just consider that a compliment.

Heyman's booking was amazing.

So much so that he went bankrupt.

His problem was he sucked at keep the Finical Books.

Yes, that is quite the problem when you can't pay for the shows you book.

He had to pay guys more then the company could afford to keep them in ECW and even when he couldn't afford to pay them, guys like the Dudleys, RVD, Sabu, Bigelow continued working for him and ECW until they really needed the pay day again and that's when they left ECW.

So, what you're saying is that Heyman couldn't book a show people wanted to watch, even when he spent twice as much money as he was making?

And you're calling this guy a good booker?

At the end of the day, I'm gonna go off on a limb here and say your knowledge of the Wrestling Industry On Screen and Behind the Scene is limited to what you read off of Forums and Websites.

You may be right, and you may not.

Either way, it doesn't change the fact that I'M right, and am making your look really bad for defending a guy who did nothing but bankrupt his own company.

Please only talk on matters like this when you actually know what you are talking about

Like now, Mr. 10% is better than 33%?

and not trying to be some know it all smark who THINKS they know something about the industry.

I eagerly await the reply of someone with the close and dear family friend.

Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you ask him which is better....10% or 33%. Of course, if he worked for Heyman, he's probably dumb enough to say 10%. Either way, it's worth a shot.

 

[jrcongine]

Paul heyman took guys that wcw and wwf couldn't get over and made them stars in his company. Yeah not hard to do right with limited talent and limited creative ability. I mean what other choice did he have. He had to make jobbers like cactus jack, al snow, steve austin stars. Oh wait they went on to become stars of wwf and wcw also after ecw brought them to popularity. hmmmmm. He changed the way raw and wcw programs were booked you know with a little more what was it called attitude. Yeah he must have really sucked as a booker.

 

[klunderbunker]

Heyman was a good booker for an indy company, plain and simple. The problem was, he couldn't handle someone being above him and it drove him crazy. In a major company, there's always going to be someone that can change your decisions, and a lot of what Paul did was good, but it wouldn't fly on national TV. There was a reason why ECW was put on at 3am when it aired in other markets: it didn't work for mainstream, plain and simple. Heyman has a great wrestling mind and his OVW and ECW stuff proves that, but he couldn't manage money, which was a huge factor in ECW's demise, likely the biggest. He captured lightning in a bottle with ECW, but it worked for its area, not on the national scene. Now, I'd certainly consider it the best indy promotion of all time for how far it got, but it simply never was going to be on the same level as WCW or WWF, plain and simple. It's like an indy band. They have a niche, but a lot of them simply wouldn't survive in mainstream because not everyone is going to like it. That's what happened to ECW: it was different, and a non mainstream audience loved it. However, at the end of the day, it was a big indy fed and not a mainstream one which it tried to be. Heyman's finances had a lot to do with that, but so did his refusal to alter his product to more of a hybrid between the traditional ECW and what was acceptable for the masses.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Forgive me if there's some reason why he will never be head booker but what if he was. All I have heard from people who have worked for him that booking wise he's very talented.

Do you think TNA Wrestling would be THAT much better if he got involved?

Do you think they would out rate ECW in a short span?

If Heyman were Head Booker, the product would improve substantially. No doubt about it. Heyman's time on Smackdown when he substituted for Stephanie while she was away brought in higher ratings than when she was there overseeing the booking.

Heyman has a gift of taking people's weaknesses and somehow finding ways to make them marketable.

However .... However .... TNA has bigger problems than just the booking. And where as he may be able to increase the ratings by .1 or even .2, the greater problem with TNA lies in its image and marketing efforts, which have been piss poor.

ECW closed because Heyman couldn't handle the books properly, and that is widely accepted amongst fans more so than Heyman's booking. The problem also lied in the fact that as an Indy promotion, he could not compete with conglomerates the size of WWE and WCW and their payroll. Heyman simply had his talent raided, and that was a sign to the ECW fanbase that things were all downhill from there. All is fair in love and war, however that is a completely different topic than Heyman's Creative efforts.

I do wish Heyman had more Creative control while in WWE. Instead Vince was too busy playing "My Dick is bigger than yours" and throwing his weight around simply to prove to Heyman that he could. Where as Vince took ECW and changed it to what we see today, and brought in higher ratings, again all of that goes back to brand image. It has the WWE label attached to it.

If Vince tried to run the ECW brand by itself on the House Show circuit, it would fail miserably. The same would occur if he tried to sell ECW as a stand-alone PPV. So this is a case where he may have improved the show's rating, but that is pretty much it.

But again, back to topic, Heyman would unquestionably improve the show's quality if he was given control of the books. However, that really isn't going to amount to much until TNA gets its act together with its Advertising and Marketing efforts, to improve the Brand's image.

 

[Wrath]

There is an unfair judgment for Heyman.I don't think he is a wrestling genuis like some of the people from this forum think but I don't also think he was a failure.I have to agree with klunderbunker.He was the best at what he does.He was a great indy booker.I don't agree with people that saying ECW should've changed it's style.First of all what made ECW so popular was it's edgy booking and hardcore matches if ECW was booking shows in the way WWF did at that time they would bankrupt much more earlier.ECW was great at staying as the top indy fed but Heyman thought they could swim in the water that WWF and WCW were swimming.When they got the national tv deal if they changed their styles they would've lost their die hard fans and won't gain new people because everyone's attention were on the promotions like WCW and WWF and why would they choose ECW if they don't offer them something different.So if ECW changed it's style it would have bankrupted earlier with losing only thing they have their die hard fans.If Heyman decided to stay in indy area they can even still be alive but Heyman wanted to be like McMahon or Bischoff.What killed ECW was that they tried to swim in deepest place of the sea and don't forget at that time WCW and WWF has seen ECW's roster as a gold mine and I think every wrestler from indy would want to wrestle in huge companies.Let's go back to question what if Heyman were the headbooker.If he tried to do the booking he did in ECW he would've bankrupted the company again because hardcore wrestling is not what mainstream audience want.I don't think TNA give him that much control on the product so I think he could succesfully book TNA.Because Heyman is known best as making nobody over(See Rhino,Dreamer,Sandman,Sabu...) so if he was the booker of TNA and did not book like he did in ECW he can be succesful at least making new stars.Even though he can't be a great booker for TNA he can be a very good in a role like someone who gives advices for young talent.

 

[wbuqed]

im gonna say slyfox, and this gets a little off topic from the original thread, that the 2 reasons ecw went belly up IMO is because number 1- there was no financial management. Paul i think was a great writer for indy promotions but he didn't bring in anyone who could control the cash going in and out. number 2- they went out of whack in progressing in media. they jump from local access tv to PPV, to cable TV? no wonder the money got drained so quickly. ECW probably would have folded or turned into a TNA like product either way. As to the question of whether or not Paul would have been a good TNA booker, my answer would be no. The talent on the roster caters to the mainstream perception of Pro Wrestling, clear cut heels and faces. Even when TNA was doing things with former ECW talent (sandman, new jack, etc) it all seemed as phony as WWECW. It wouldn't be a good idea for TNA but it wouldnt be as bad as sly fox thinks. Sorry for going slightly off topic but I felt as though my full thought had to be expressed

 

[D-Man]

Wait a minute, wait a minute... I can't help but agree with Sly here. Paul Heyman had his day in the sun and messed it all up. To sum up my thoughts, just the way that everyone blames VINCE for every mistake that the WWE makes, we should do the same with Heyman and ECW.

ECW was a very successful INDY promotion. It did nothing to battle the mainstream titans in WCW and WWE. The ECW product was swallowed up by competition. They had the talent and the notoriety but they couldn't capitalize on it because of Paul Heyman's bad decision making. He wrote the scripts, he paid the salaries, and he made all of the major decisions in the company. And those decisions killed the product.

Why would TNA even consider bringing him in to book the show?? TNA is far from losing money at this point, so why change anything? And if they wished to change anything, why bring in someone that had a track record for failure in the wrestling business? Paul Heyman did a tremedous job in ECW, but he aimed too high in his goals. In the end, he wound up shooting blanks out of a pistol at people with fully functional rocket launchers.

And lastly, it doesn't matter who you know in the wrestling biz and what they've told you. In the subject of ECW, Heyman's failure speaks for itself and has already become public knowledge. Anyone who says otherwise is speaking from their personal feelings and not from a business perspective. Heyman has a reputation for being very motivational and friendly with some wrestlers while being the worst enemy of others. I'm sure your personal friend was on Heyman's good side.

 

[JenovasWitness]

I think we should give Paul Heyman his due. He did something incredible with ECW, taking it from being just another also ran promotion and turning it into a cult favorite amongst wrestling fans that garnered enough attention to gain TV and PPV deals. It was exciting, violent television with incredible wrestling matches put on by RVD, Taz, Shane Douglas, Raven, Cactus Jack, Tommy dreamer, etc. It garnered enough attention for Vince to do a joint effort with them for a RAW telecast and for WCW to take notice and begin raiding there talent roster.

But this brings us to the part where Heyman would not be a good fit for TNA as head booker: the larger the organization becomes, the less effective Pauly becomes. Paul Heyman has a history of not working well with people. He has a history of being a dishonest business person. Hell, Chris Jericho said in his book the first thing Heyman did in conversation with him was tell a bald faced lie.

And therein lies the reason for ECW's demise: Paul Heyman cannot manage anything efficiently above the indy promotion level. If Heyman got the job at TNA, I can predict with 100% certainty that he would find someone that he disagrees with immediately (likely Cornette as they have a bad history to begin with). In-fighting would commence and I see TNA management giving Heyman his walking papers so that he can go back to the Heyman Hustle to interview strippers.

 

[Tastycles]

Sly and D-Man have this right entirely. The differences between WWE ECW and the proper ECW may be stylisitically different, but on a deeper level, they really aren't as different as people make out.

First and foremost, take away the venues and the actual product, and what you have left is a small rostered promotion on an unfashionable channel, who lose the vast majority of their big stars. Marketing wise, ECW gets very little, it is never advertised on the other two shows, and is regularly shunted about the schedule by the channel, because it has basically nothing to do with the rest of the programming on that channel.

They both attracted the most viewers in their prime, and were both against two wrestling shows with a huge audience. However, the current ECW makes a lot more people tune in every week. Remember, the people who watch wrestling aren't the people who watch the Sci Fi channel. The much maligned December to Dismember PPV sold more buys than the vast majority of ECW PPVs.

Heyman may have come up with a gripping storyline, but they never brought anyone new into wrestling. There can't be many people who only used to watch ECW and nothing else, and even fewer who started off by watching it. The storylines of Bischoff, McMahon, and I daresay Vince Russo were far more integral in bringing in new audiences. One of those guys already works for TNA, and while I'm not going to attribute the success of TNA to Vince Russo, there is little wrong with their current storylines.

People can poo poo the claims that Heyman ran ECW into the ground, but it is true, and it is important. He couldn't book a show within his means very well, and in a company on a budget, that is important. TNA, without the help of a wrestling boom, has in 7 years far exceded ECW on every level. In 1999, when ECW was 7, it had fewer fans, fewer PPV buys, fewer successes and it was further in debt. I can't imagine ECW started with much more than TNA did or vice versa, so the booking team at TNA has done far better in a leaner period.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Heyman as head booker of TNA is a bad idea. My opinion of the old ECW is that the entire promotion was simply a gimmick that didn't appeal to mainstream wrestling fans. Heyman in a smaller setting can do some good, but I'm not confident in his abilities as a head booker.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about the old ECW, the fact is that it went broke under Heyman's watch. Heyman came up with ideas that appealed to him and his ECW audience, but most wrestling fans don't want to see practically every match on the card be a blood bath. The over the top violence is just that, it's over the top and loses steam over time. Heyman as part of the creative team might be one thing, but head booker with complete creative control? Not a chance.

 

[thebigredmonster84]

Paul Heyman would kick ECWs ass if he was booking TNA. Heyman knows talent knows how to work an audience is awesome on the microphone. Were not talking about him beating Raw or Smackdown but ECW (home of the non pops) he could beat them within 3 months

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I'm sorry, but I just can not help but laugh at the fact that people want to compare the original ECW and its bankroll to a national conglomerate like WWE and WCW. That would be like telling the promoter of your local Independent wrestling organization ... "Look, if you fail because of your competitors, it is all your fault, because of the way you book and manage your money. I don't care if WWE or WCW pays better than you, has more resources to pour into better advertising than you, has more professional employees than you, has better production equipment than you, can afford better buildings than you, has more resources to get on a better network with a better timeslot than you ... or any other reason. It is ALL YOUR FAULT."

People forget that WWWF was unquestionably respected for its time, but can someone imagine if there was a serious wrestling company that went national before McMahon did, and beat Vince to the punch? Not that there was anything wrong with Vince's creative efforts in this hypothetical case, but let's say another company simply went National before Vince did, had more resources than Vince did, and raided all of Vince's talent before Vince could secure his national deal. Would Vince's failure be as a promoter necessarily be because of his Creative efforts or Money Management, or would it be because his competition simply had more resources and was able to establish itself nationally before Vince did, which put him out of business?

 

[RH23]

Well for starters, Paul Heyman will go down in history as one of the best bookers/promoters of all time. He knows this business and he knows what to give the fans. I think that if Paul Heyman were the head booker of TNA, it would be way better because Paul Heyman is genius when it comes to booking. He took a small independent wrestling company known as Eastern Championship Wrestling and transformed it into the third largest wrestling promotion, known as Extreme Championship Wrestling.