Could we see a TNA ECW?

[Cookie14]

With rumours starting that TNA could start and ECW faction, based on their large number of ECW alumni, it got me thinking......

Back in WCW, when the NWO began, the original plans were for them to break away and create a seperate wrestling programme. Unfortunatley, we never got to witness NWO vs Nitro.

WWE has run Raw and SD as two seperate shows for a good few years now, and has done so with a great deal of success.

TNA is run by many of the same people behind WCW, so could they be looking at the possibility of a second progamme?

TNA's roster is huge, and could easily cope with two shows. Imagine if they used Impact the way WWE uses Raw, as a home for the big names. TNA could put on a second show, maybe go up against SD aswell, with the second show focusing on 'Extreme' matches based on their ECW alumni, as well as giving the X-Division a fair spotlight in it's own right.

TNA will never win the war on Monday nights, but could challenge on Thursdays if they managed it right.

Your opinions please.........

 

[Jack-Hammer]

A second show for TNA is a discussion that's been had numerous times but it's probably not going to happen anytime soon. For one thing, I'm not really sure that TNA has the financial resources to pull it off. Don't get me wrong, I don't know that for sure, it's just something I'm guessing at. The vast majority of wrestlers signed with TNA work on a paid by appearance basis. Only a very small minority have guaranteed contracts with the company and get paid whether they're used on iMPACT! or not. If TNA started another show to feature wrestlers that don't get much time on iMPACT!, that'll only be more money that TNA has to shell out.

Another potential problem is that hardly any of the homegrown TNA talent or talent that's come in from the indy scene can draw a dime. TNA iMPACT! has the likes of Hulk Hogan, RVD, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, Sting, Eric Bischoff and the Dudleyz featured on just about every episode of iMPACT!. A couple of all time greats and some of the biggest stars in wrestling of the past 15 years or so and the ratings for iMPACT! are in the toilet. If iMPACT! can't draw big with Jeff Hardy headlining the show, then I don't have much faith in a show headlined by Rhino.

At this point in time, iMPACT! itself really isn't even on solid ground anymore. I might be wrong, but I don't see TNA trying to expand itself to a second program anytime soon. At least not unless or until iMPACT! is healthy again.

 

[philbrooks]

A second primetime show would be too much on the creative team and production despite TNA have a roster for it. It would take attention anyway from the Monday show as well.

TNA is run by many of the same people behind WCW, so could they be looking at the possibility of a second progamme?

Eric Bischoff places the addition of Thunder as one of the top five reasons WCW went out of business.

 

[Shocky]

Chalk this up to the rumor that simply will not die. I've read on and off about ECW to TNA theories for the better part of five years now, and nothing has happened as of yet, and nothing will ever come of it.

Could this angle work, certainly, but I don't trust TNA's creative team to pull this bad boy off. First and foremost, this angle only works if you have one man join TNA, and that man is Paul Heyman. This angle will never get off the ground, and no one would buy this thing without Paul E. Dangerously rocking the microphone. The big misconception that exist in the world of the IWC is that Raven...Shane Douglas...Taz...RVD, etc. are the face of ECW. All wrong. There is only one man that could cut a scathing promo that exemplifies everything ECW is, and that man is Paul E. Dangerously.

How I would book this bad boy, let the current angle with all of the old WCW guys play itself out. This wouldn't go down this year, probably the big storyline going into next year. You simply have too many old guys from WCW (Hall, Nash, Hogan, Flair, Sting, Waltman etc.) that take up too much air time. To introduce a third set of men would be too much. You have to have something clear cut occur after the current storylines with the aging stars. The TNA originals or new stars have to be the clear cut faces of the company and men identifiable with the company. That way you bring an ECW faction in, you have a clear cut good vs. bad scenario.

Why this could work as well, real life animosity between Paul Heyman and the network formerly known as TNN. Paul Heyman, the ECW guys, and hell even myself believe that TNN was a huge reason why ECW was killed. Yes guys jumping ship and Heyman's piss poor abilities with money led as well, but TNN killed ECW as much as AOLTW killed WCW. You look now at Spike TV, and they are begging for TNA to succeed. Moving TNA to a Monday Night time slot, adjusting the start times, giving TNA replays to help establish and grow viewership. All the while, TNN buried ECW on a Saturday night to promote Rollerjam.

Reason this could work again. TNA wants to expand to NYC. Some will argue that a 60 year old Hulk Hogan is the key to selling out the Hammerstein Ballroom, I call bullshit on that. If there was one company that was as over as any other company in NY as the WWE was, it was ECW. The smaller venues that TNA wants to run cater to that same crowd that ECW used to run. ECW ran the northeast like no other company could, and some of those big names are in TNA right now.

If TNA wants this to work, they have to move Impact around. Don't make it exclusive to Orlando, or New York, or Phily, or Nashville. Run the same venues that ECW used to run. Grow a fan base, establish a territory. If TNA wants to run an angle like this, you can't run it in one venue. Look at the WWF in 1997, and the faction war they ran to perfection. The Border War not only worked because of the strong figures involved, but the foresight to book arenas in both Canada and the United States almost every other week. If TNA were to do this, run a show or two in Nashville and Orlando, and then run the show in Phily or New York, this could be amazing.

Again though, this is all based on the thought that TNA creative could pull this off, which makes this seem very unlikely.

 

[bretfan316]

How bout we worry about making impact get above 1.0 rating consistently before we even talk about a second show. And besides, making another ecw show is just again copying wwe, and living in the past once again. How bout we make a feud with "the band" or what i like to call them "wash up nwo guys living on their past" and the ecw guys they have on the roster, that will sure bring ratings. Oh wait it wont, cause its not exciting or innovative, it's old and no one cares any more. Once tna comes up with an original idea then that is when it will compete with wwe, until then I'll watch old you tube clips of the original ecw if I want to watch an ecw type show.

 

[philbrooks]

I love that most people have either forgot or dont know about Team Extreme angle in TNA years.

It should tell you guys something. It resulted in bad matches and did nothing for business.

 

[gtajoker01]

It's possible. But i am fed up with tna re-creating the past. its really sad its time for them to focus on the future. Push the right guys and its time for people like nash and hall to step down. because they are taking up the space as well. its like they are trying to create another wcw. which sadly they are becoming.

 

[Shocky]

I love that most people have either forgot or dont know about Team Extreme angle in TNA years.

It should tell you guys something. It resulted in bad matches and did nothing for business.

New Jack, Perry Saturn and the Sandman? Come on. TNA in 2002/3 was still a pay per view a week show. This was before the dawn of Impact on Spike or even FSN at that point. You can't seriously judge an angle from nearly 8 years ago in a fledgling company to the potential of what could happen now.

No disrespect to those three men, but with the exception of Sandman, none were a face of ECW. You bring in Team 3D which has the billings of 3 companies as the best tag team ever, a super over guy in RVD who happens to be a former WWE champion, and numerous other guys that were more over then Team Xtreme, you have potential for a successful storyline.

Am I going to claim that this is what it's going to take for TNA to go to the next level, no. I've heard this shit before. Angle, Christian, Foley, and Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair combined have done nothing to make TNA a legit threat to the WWE. TNA wants to get it's foot in the door to smaller venues in markets that are unfriendly to their product, an ECW angle could work for them.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

TNA needs to focus on doing something fresh instead of relying on the past to get them over. I still have a feeling The Band will eventually resurrect NWO.

As for an ECW/TNA, honestly in this point of the game I can only think this would be bad for business. They are already trying too hard to be like the original ECW, with extreme moments like Orlando Jordan's new-found game of milkface and Daffney stripping. If TNA wants to stand out, they need to work with something original and unique.


An ECW Returns Angle may in the beginning improve ratings drastically, but in the long run where are they going to take it? WWE dropped the ball with that golden goose, so I don't expect TNA to run with it.

As for a second show...let's just see how ratings go with the only show they have right now. I have yet to see them go to a 1.0, even when they were supposedly feuding with WWE!

When it comes to iMPACT, I have to hold my breathe. I want them to succeed. I want them to give WWE the fight we know they could bring if only they kept with their angles and storylines.

 

[bazza187]

with the addition of rvd and possibly dreamer plus the former ecw talent they already have tna could do a ecw faction but i am not sure i would want to see it. latley i have noticed that nearly everytime i tune in to tna someone is getting busted open after taking a nasty steel chair shot rob terry being an example from this past weeks what is it going to take for tna and others to realize that chair shots to the skull are extremely dangerous do we really want another benoit moment in wrestling reports stated he had the brain of an 80 year old which was linked to the headbutts and chairshots he took (yes i am aware that drugs will also have played a part but look at rob terry and tell me he wouldnt be under a 30 day suspension if he was in the e).

also that would be using an old wwe idea yes it failed for them but thats had something to do with a weak watered down version dont get me wrong i like hardcore matches ladder table cage they are all great but not all the time wrestling is dangerous enough without all these gimmicks all the time and to have an ecw faction they would be used a hell of alot more i say the era of extreme is gone its dead it may come back at somepoint but i say leave the tnaecw alumni as they are and let ecw rest in peace rhyno said pretty much the same thing himself on impact a few years ago

pick at my post by all means but leave the grammar alone please as i have dyslexia and get tired of hearing full stops and all that

 

[hogan is the greatest]

tna needs to stay primarly in the southeast were most of there fan base is but not just the impact zone. they need to travel the biggest portion of the southeast, including fl,ga,al,miss.,louisana,tenn.,s.c.,n.c., and maybe texas and kentucky, but they surely need to stay in that area north carolina is as high as up as they need to go,but they need to stay out of the northeast and away from them idiot yankees. them dumm yankees dont know good entertainment anyway.

 

[Chicago1989]

This "ECW" formation has been done so many times, I lost count. ECW is dead; Why can't people just forget about it? How many times do we gotta hear "E-C-W" chants or guys trying to relive their past glory. It's dead and it needs to stay dead.

It's a good thing I don't support TNA anymore because if this ECW thing is going to happen, it proves that TNA is stuck in the past. What is this going to be? The Extreme Main Event Mafia?

Besides, they can't use the ECW name since it's owned by WWE. They would have to come up with some crappy name like they did with "The Band". Oh boy, first you got the nWo back together and now, they want to bring back ECW...ridiculous .

 

[future admin]

If they make another show, they should make it a cruiserweight/knocnout shows, an ECW faction could work there with Dr Stevie, Raven, Tommy Dreamer (if he signs with TNA) RVD, team 3D, rhino, Taz to name a few. I would like to see it, but they are also overusing the ECW originals faction, It is gonna get stale if they do it too much

 

[boozinjedi]

If they make another show, they should make it a cruiserweight/knocnout shows, an ECW faction could work there with Dr Stevie, Raven, Tommy Dreamer (if he signs with TNA)

And that will be the telltale key if they're gonna do that...

As much as they shoved it down our throats in the WWE version of ECW
Tommy was the heart& soul of the original ECW...NO TOMMY??...NO TNA-ECW!!

 

[shattered dreams]

Like someone said without Heyman this thing would not work. A bunch of guys chillin with eachother saying we used to be in "ecw" is not much of a story. Heyman turned down Russo a while back and he and Bischoff were not exactly on good terms back in the day. Heyman has also been blasting TNA and its booking for a while. It does not seem like Heyman has much interest in getting back in the biz and even if he did I doubt he would be too interested in reporting to hogan/bischoff. There is no doubt though that if they got Heyman that the angle could be a monster hit if done correctly.

 

[Simmo]

To add my 2 cents worth.....

I think TNA could do with having a 2nd show and although some of the ideas on this thread are good (I'd love an ECW styled group in TNA) but I reckon the best way to go would be to make the 2nd show all about the X-Division, call it TNA-X

This could highlight all of the underused x division guys who only get on impact once every 2 weeks if they are lucky. The show could also be a good area to focus on the "ECWesque" matches and rivalries for those people who still like thinking it's 1993 again.....

Having a show like this would then open up more time on Impact for more feuds to develop with the main guys and also allow for at least 1 top notch x-division match each week on Impact....

Just a few thoughts....

 

[ncwriter2908]

The only way it would work is if TNA stuck a deal with Paul Heyman to run the 2nd show. Then it would run beautiful. I guess they would call it XCW that way it would still be called xtreme championship wrestling. It would be awesome and I think it would be more over than Hogan,Sting,and Flair or the rest of these guys who arent getting the job done in TNA.

 

[Amarillo del Bosque Verde]

I don't think we'll see it. We might see a second show, but I don't think it'll be an ecw based one. They might put all of the former ecw stars on it, but I think it'll be other people too. Plus, with them thinking about making a ecw faction, who'll probably be all faces, how does that make for a good show? The show would be all faces, unless you turn half of them.So that's just what I think.

 

[Fan_of_Wrestling]

To add my 2 cents worth.....

I think TNA could do with having a 2nd show and although some of the ideas on this thread are good (I'd love an ECW styled group in TNA) but I reckon the best way to go would be to make the 2nd show all about the X-Division, call it TNA-X

This could highlight all of the underused x division guys who only get on impact once every 2 weeks if they are lucky. The show could also be a good area to focus on the "ECWesque" matches and rivalries for those people who still like thinking it's 1993 again.....

Having a show like this would then open up more time on Impact for more feuds to develop with the main guys and also allow for at least 1 top notch x-division match each week on Impact....

Just a few thoughts....

I think you've hit the nail on the head, we don't need a ECW brand, but another program that could focus on TNA's own "extreme" aspects would be brilliant. TNA needs a way to reinvigorate the X-division and it's simply not gonna happen on Impact with all that's going on.

I know that Spike and TNA keep saying they don't want to put out another show that could take away from there Impact ratings, but they have just announced the return of the re-run. Surely this won't help Impact, I'd love them to have a 1 hour, cut down Impact re-run, then making space for a 1 hour X-division show.

Sorry to go off course... But I'm of the opinion that we don't need an ECW stable, we just need a show that keeps that extreme spirit alive.

 

[ramblinroy68]

This is a bad idea. Tommy Dreamer isn't who TNA should be signing. He's old, he's not that entertaining, and quite frankly wasn't that great in his prime. ECW had a purpose and it was a great promotion for what it was, but the fact of the matter is the guys on TNA's roster that are from ECW are too old to focus on. Richards, Raven, Bubba, Tommy, and Rhino aren't able to perform in the ring. I don't want to see them anymore. RVD and Devon still look good, but even they aren't what they were 12 years ago.

TNA NEEDS TO QUIT LIVING IN THE PAST Look to the future, focus on the end product. Establish new stars that viewers will want to tune into. Sure, you may have a few misses a long the way, but when you stumble into the right guy with the right persona, you can change the world of wrestling. Stunning Steve Austin was great. I loved him in WCW, but Stone Cold Steve Austin was amazing. He changed wrestling. Rocky Maivia was hated because he sucked. The Rock was great. The Blue Blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley was mediocre, but The Game HHH is great.

They need to focus on Character development. Find the right niche for Eric Young, Matt Morgan, Hernandez, Alex Shelley, Samoa Joe, or Pope. Instead of bringing in has beens and washed ups, bring in a Phil Shatter, Mikael Judas, Truitt Fields, or a no-one from a indy promotion. Even take the cast-offs from FCW or OVW and make them into a star. DJ Gabriel, Tyler Reks, Lance Cade, Ken Doane, or Paul Burchill. Maybe a change of scenery or a new persona will take off. The Pope is a great example. He is pretty hot right now. If TNA had 10 more guys on the verge of stardom, in two years maybe they would be winning the ratings.

SAY NO TO ECW!!!

 

[GameUniverse]

I am so psyched that they could do this! I think the ECW Originals deserve one last run together.

I would love to see RVD, 3D, etc do a run in on the main event with The Band, Beer Money and a few others. Lay them out and then have Heyman come out and cut a promo saying how it's their time and they are taking over TNA. Tear into WWE for crapping on ECW and then feud with the Bishoff regime... leading into a 3 way feud of Bishoff, Flair, AJ, Sting and the Band vs ECW vs Hogan and the TNA Originals (Abyss, Samoa Joe, Motor City Machine Guns, Jay Lethal). The Originals are trying to get their show back... and are the clear babyfaces...

I love the idea of touring the Northeast and having ECW over there and TNA over in the Impact Zone... It would be like home or away games in other sports.... cheer for who you like.

I would bring in Sabu, Dreamer, Balls, and Sandman because it wouldn't be the same without them. Maybe Axel Rotten and New Jack...

Keep the X-Division entirely out of this angle(except the Machine Guns)... have them continue to put on awesome matches in between this story line.

Great TV there.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As Shocky said in an earlier post, it's something that could potentially work but I think it would only work if TNA brought in Paul Heyman and gave him complete creative control over the direction of the angle.

Could TNA Creative possibly pull it off without Heyman? I suppose, but it's not likely. Even without Heyman, there's still another factor that TNA lacks and that's patience. In order to really pull something like this off, do it with gusto and have it live up to its fullest potential, it would take a lot of time and patience. The problem is that TNA Management doesn't have patience. Dixie wants TNA's ratings to go up, she wants the company to be #1 and she wants it to happen yesterday. Instead of slowly building something up that could possibly work and work extremely well, TNA Management has resorted to relying on sleazy and/or ridiculous stunts and importing big names to the company in the hopes of increasing ratings. That's all well and good, but it's something that ultimately hasn't been paying off.