What was the point of replacing ecw with nxt

[CitiBoy7]

To me NXT has flopped harder than ECW so what was the point. Im not necessarily saying bring ECW back but please WWE bring a third brand for all these stars who wanna break out. Nxt's job was to find the next breakout star but the question is where are you gonna put them. Both roster are starting to get crowded and added more superstars is only hurting the wwe.

So does the wwe need a third brand with a title?
or
Keep smackdown and raw but eliminate half the roster?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

To me NXT has flopped harder than ECW so what was the point. Im not necessarily saying bring ECW back but please WWE bring a third brand for all these stars who wanna break out. Nxt's job was to find the next breakout star but the question is where are you gonna put them. Both roster are starting to get crowded and added more superstars is only hurting the wwe.

So does the wwe need a third brand with a title?
or
Keep smackdown and raw but eliminate half the roster?

I do not think that a 3rd brand is needed, the roster would have to be spread too thinly. There are not enough genuine stars on the WWE roster any more to justify having a 3rd brand.

I personally do not think a series of NXT should have started as soon as the previous one finished, that did not make any sense to me. However, it did give us several worthy additions to the roster in Barrett, Bryan, Gabriel and a couple of others. Introducing these young wrestlers is only a good thing as it is helping to breed the next generation of main eventers to take over once the veterans retire, but the WWE need to be careful not to add too many at once or the roster will look bloated and filled with too many no-name wrestlers at one time.

 

[DethMetal]

I personally don't get why NXT is still around, especially if they were gonna bring back Tough Enough. NXT has only given us, in terms of guys with a future, Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel. ECW wasn't great, but at least it gave the talents that they've swept under the rug a chance to do something. Example: The Usos came to the WWE looking good and looked like they could potentially be tag champs, and for a good part of a year, Santino and Kozlov were champions. I don't think they need a new brand exactly, but to start utilizing some of the wasted talent that they have.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

ECW on Syfy was an abortion! For the first three weeks when they brought it back it was true to its meaning, and then immediately it began to dip lower and lower into a bucket of shit until it was completelty covered.

The one good thing that came from the ECW brand was CM Punk.

That being said, when compared to NXT, NXT is still doing its job. It's giving people the oppurtunity to see the young stars, and for those who care and actually watch it like me for example, the show isn't that bad once you get past the constant replays from RAW and adverts.

NXT brought up guys like Alex Riley, Bryan Danielson, brought forth the whole Nexus group and a lot more young stars.

What did ECW do? Nothing. The brand was carried by Christian for a whole year.

 

[CitiBoy7]

What did ECW do? Nothing. The brand was carried by Christian for a whole year.

Why are you looking at one year and take a good look at some well known Raw and Smackdown guys and you'll realize wwe built them threw WWECW. Also go watch or read about WWECW back in 2008 which was a good year for that brand. Also you rather watch a bunch of guys play trivia and do obstacle courses other than having a third brand and like I said the wwe just needs a new brand or chop this roster down. I think a third brand would be fun a give more variety.

 

[Rayne]

Because ECW was awful, and they attempted to replace it with something more watchable. For a couple of months, they were successful in that, then NXT simply became unbearable.

As far as the roster becoming "too full": impossible. It's a dog eat dog business. When you do well and get more camera time, someone else gets pushed down the list and gets less. Some stars, like Kaval, don't make it very far at all, which is a damn shame. (To be fair, he really didn't wrestle a WWE style anyways, and wasn't really adapting to one.) You try what works, some stuff does, some stuff doesn't.

WWE's due for a round of releases soon, but I think they may be hesitating as TNA/IW will gobble up what they see as the cream of that crop.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Why are you looking at one year and take a good look at some well known Raw and Smackdown guys and you'll realize wwe built them threw WWECW. Also go watch or read about WWECW back in 2008 which was a good year for that brand. Also you rather watch a bunch of guys play trivia and do obstacle courses other than having a third brand and like I said the wwe just needs a new brand or chop this roster down. I think a third brand would be fun a give more variety.

I'll go to Rayne to explain it to you further...

Because ECW was awful, and they attempted to replace it with something more watchable. For a couple of months, they were successful in that.

NXT served its purpose very well. ECW... Didn't have a purpose other than to draw back fans of the Original ECW brand to make a profit, and if you take a look at the buyrates from December to Dismember that didn't work out very well.

ECW didn't make anyone, asides from CM Punk. Miz was placed on the brand, Morrison was placed on the brand, but Miz didn't start on ECW and neither did Morrison; he was originally Johnny Nitro after-all.

And even they spent more of their time on Smackdown and RAW then ECW. Sheamus and Evan Bourne debuted on ECW, Bourne is the closest thing to being another positive of the ECW Brand, as he was more over than Sheamus when they moved the pair to RAW. Sheamus got no reaction for about a month on RAW.

CM Punk is the one guy who started on ECW, was built up on the show, made people want to tune in before being allowed to go to Monday Night RAW.

NXT was brought in to give young guys some time to show what they have, once again, look at the Nexus. Look at Alex Riley. You got guys on these forums making weekly threads trying to rally support for guys who aren't on WWE's main roster, but appeared on NXT like Percy Watson and Derrick Bateman. And that was the purpose of NXT, to get fans interested in future prospects.

NXT served its purpose, and its short purpose has done more for WWE than the ECW brand would do even if they allowed it to run, today.

 

[sTyLnK]

Because the WWE isn't afraid to try new things. IMO ECW was long overdue to get canceled anyways. All the originals were/are too old and without them the brand name was pointless to have. Extreme was over ages ago. So they switched it up and continue to test the waters or in this case retest the waters with Tough Enough. I for one like it.

 

[neildittmar]

I always thought that if WWE wasn't going to stay true to the entire original vision of ECW, then they should've at least capitalized on the "Ellis Island" aspect. That is, WWECW could be a place for new guys to get introduced, potential stars to get noticed, and specific older talent to lend familiarity and help guide those new/rising talents.

This seemed to be the case for awhile, but WWECW eventually turned into the place where you were sent when creative had nothing for you to do. Interest was lost, ratings tanked and Vince couldn't stand to have a "loser" (especially one branded with a name he didn't initially create). The fact that WWECW lasted as long as it did was quite surprising to me.

So enter NXT... the new generation of Tough Enough that leaned more towards reality show and less towards the grueling environment of its predecessor. It was fine for awhile and directly brought about one of the biggest and most exciting surprises out of the WWE in years (Nexus). However, with the show now airing online only and Tough Enough having been brought back successfully, there really isn't much need for NXT as a concept anymore.

As for a true third brand, if WWE would go about it the right way I still think it can work. To do it correctly, I think the "brand" needs to be its own animal. No RAW replays, no super-high production values, no consistent (or really any) direct integration with the red and blue shows. Although the primary focus could be on younger and rising talent (FCW mainstays, Tough Enough runners-up, and "would've been" NXT candidates immediately spring to mind), the "Ellis Island" aspect could also be explored. For the veterans and those who've had their chance at RAW and/or Smackdown and blown it, this new brand could be the place where they get a second swing or at the very least, help put over the new class while still earning a paycheck, rather than being immediately future-endeavored. Rather than being a solid ratings earner, this brand should be looked upon as an investment in the future first and foremost. To see who can cut it and who can't, as well as to identify new superstars and see what "tests" well with the public.

 

[CitiBoy7]

I didn't mean to put ecw as the main idea but I think a third brand would work with a new name. yeah you talk about all these guys coming from nxt being potential stars but wouldn't a third brand be needed to push all these guys. Nxt is a boring show but I didn't say everyone sucked and you guys know everyone on ecw didn't suck(Swagger and so on). I don't understand why you wouldn't want another show that can showcase more talent like why not. Half of the wwe roster is always on superstars or completely off tv so why is it so bad to have a third roster??????

Maybe if the third brand was actually in competition with raw and smackdown people wouldn't complain instead of filling the show up with a couple stars and a bunch of jobbers(ECW). You only talk down on it because the way it was booked as if the wwe wanted it to be a bad show.

As for a true third brand, if WWE would go about it the right way I still think it can work. To do it correctly, I think the "brand" needs to be its own animal. No RAW replays, no super-high production values, no consistent (or really any) direct integration with the red and blue shows. Although the primary focus could be on younger and rising talent (FCW mainstays, Tough Enough runners-up, and "would've been" NXT candidates immediately spring to mind), the "Ellis Island" aspect could also be explored. For the veterans and those who've had their chance at RAW and/or Smackdown and blown it, this new brand could be the place where they get a second swing or at the very least, help put over the new class while still earning a paycheck, rather than being immediately future-endeavored. Rather than being a solid ratings earner, this brand should be looked upon as an investment in the future first and foremost. To see who can cut it and who can't, as well as to identify new superstars and see what "tests" well with the public.

My friend that's exactly what ecw tried to be.

 

[The Crock]

ECW had already run its course. The roster size wasn't enough to accommodate a third brand. ECW was basically just all jobbers, a few midcarders, and no main eventers. It wasn't doing much at that stage. Earlier on, it had been a nice way to get younger stars (CM Punk, John Morrison) over and get them ready for RAW or Smackdown, but at the end it wasn't doing that. With the youth push still in full force, they needed something that would help them get young stars over, so they brought NXT on.

The first few seasons of NXT were just fine, but at this point, it too has run its course. It might just be time to end NXT as well. There's not enough guys in the developmental leagues who are ready to be brought up, so the show isn't providing us with good talent. Sure, it gives guys who don't get much TV time such as Chavo Guerrero and Yoshi Tatsu somewhere to go, but it's not necessary.

 

[Dr.Shades]

I loved the original ECW and WWECW was a joke once the ECW originals left. ECW became a stepping stone from developmental to TV. they had to demote good talent just to keep ratings.

 

[thesawks]

Its obviously a way to get young talent on the tv

 

[TheKingHustla]

I personally think that ECW would help the WWE and it would take some of the stars from Raw and SD and give them main event possibilities on ECW. It would give more time to push future stars, and it wouldnt take any time away from what they are doing now. It could be a win for everyone because they would get to see those guys they complain about not seeing enough of now, like JoMo, Bryan, Ryder, yada yada, and it could give guys like Cody Rhodes a chance to carry a brand. That would also give them more storylines meaning bigger pay per view interest.

I think that many people are thinking that ECW should be like the ECW of old, but it shouldn't, it should be just another brand, because who is going to put their lives on the line every night to do the things that ECW was known for before WWECW. You just had Edge retire for that exact reason, and you'd see shorter careers and more injuries than need be.

 

[wwerulestnaisbad]

Wwe had a group of guys they wanted in wwe. Well they are in there so now they should just bring back ecw (i would love to see wcw).

 

[Hardcore Heathen]

I dont think the WWE Wanted to Continuously Rape the carcass that is ECW. That said I think they were Trying to make it Better when Benoit was Drafted to ECW And win the Title. Unfortunately That came to a swift end.

 

[akrassikauda]

If you want a third brand help put Superstars on the air. Superstars on the web is a better version of WWECW. The problem is Superstars is on the web.

I recommend going old school put it back on Saturday at 11am or noon . Showcase the mid-card and lower mid-card talent and your NXT FCW talent have them Job thus paying their dues getting experience and the best ones move to RAW or Smackdown. Also have a Jack Swagger vs Daniel Bryant type of match. Show vignettes of RAW and Smackdown for those who missed it. It worked before

 

[Kane666]

I think a third brand could definately work.They have so much talent that never gets any tv time.After all Vince owns the rights to all the old promotions.Maybe Vince should wait until TNA goes under and then he can buy them out too.

 

[JGlass]

I think a third brand could definately work.They have so much talent that never gets any tv time.After all Vince owns the rights to all the old promotions.Maybe Vince should wait until TNA goes under and then he can buy them out too.

You think a third brand could work? It's already been proven that it can't. Having regular TV time is one thing, but WWE doesn't have enough top draws to go around, nor do they have enough PPV time to give the third brand proper representation on the big shows.

 

[vthokie8]

I think remembering ECW was a great idea when it was an annual event. I thought both One Night Stand's were well put together and didn't spit on the legacy the original guys left on that company. However, I feel ECW as a third brand was just an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of those events. ECW was never meant to be mainstream, look at how poorly it performed on TNN. Not to mention booking it as a C level show. Personally, I would have had a Rumble winner challenge for the ECW title if I wanted to give the show some legs. You could still book at as the third title match on Mania, but at least make it's stars seem legit. I would have probably did that with Punk or maybe even Jeff Hardy when he was still with the company. As far as a third show now, I think NXT has ran it's course. The fans are tired of the format and after Season 2, no noteworthy talent has been produced from the show. I would say if there was a third show make it FCW. We could still see the future stars of WWE without them being treated like dirt by guys like JTG and Tyson Kidd.

 

[jm8]

Having seen ECW live a couple of times in the past, it is sad to have seen it been replaced by something like NXT. I won't lie, NXT doesn't interest me, and it never will. Neither does Tough Enough. The whole reality tv thing is fairly awful in most cases, desperate tv looking desperately for ratings.

To answer your question, the 'point' of replacing it was probably a mix a many things. Quest for ratings (people are very predictable and will watch this crap), ECW probably didn't fit in with Vince's new PG set up, NXT is a very new idea (ECW isn't, on second thoughts why not turn the entire WWE into a giant gameshow??)

I wouldn't worry too much about it though, NXT will crash and burn soon, like everything else. The novelty will soon wear off and another show will take its place. Well, thats personal opinion.

 

[MrHashasheen]

Lots of people keep shitting on ECW because it wasn't everything the original was (or what they thought it was). But it was a good brand. The Miz and John Morrison reinvented themselves there, it debuted Sheamus, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne, and it rewarded veterans for their years of loyalty (Kane, Matt Hardy, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry).

It was a good brand. It didn't need to die. It served it's purpose better than NXT ever did.