ECW or WCW: Which one is the most influential to today's product?

[Thriller Ant]

World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling were both popular companies during the 90's that challenged and influenced the WWF in ways that had not been seen during Vince's time in charge. Eventually, both of these companies, through various gaffes, were purchased by Vince and brought into his company.

Even though they don't exist anymore, influences from both WCW and ECW can still be seen to this day. Whether it is competitors like Chris Jericho and the Big Show, or storylines like NWO ripoffs, or even a reunion show, it is almost impossible to watch any TNA or WWE programming without seeing something that can be connected to one of the two companies.

So my question to you, which of these companies has the most influence on today's product? Use whatever criteria you want, just make sure you back up your choice.

 

[Fuel The Fire]

It has to be w.c.w. They are the one who started using real names for wrestlers and stop using cartoon like characters that the wwf was using at that time. Part of the reason i tihnk nexus is so successful is because they remind us of the old w.c.w nwo days. W.C.W is one of the main reasons also why there are 12 pay per view a year also. They even did live tv before wwe did. WWE is where they are at partly because of w.c.w.

 

[mrbrownstone]

There is no way it could be ECW in todays PG environment so therefore it has to be WCW without WCW the WWE wouldnt have The Big Show, Y2J or Rey (although the last 2 were briefly in ecw) and we also wouldnt have the Nexus cause there never would have been an NWO. They are even having a WCW themer HOF next year (probably) I dont see them having an ECW themed HOF.

 

[Ferbian]

Depends on the promotion.

ECW obviously has it's influence in TNA. Tommy Dreamer said it nicely this week. There's things in the original ECW that shines through in TNA. The same goes for the fact that they're both focusing on a different product. They don't wanna be in the censored direction that WWE is. I didn't watch ECW, but I would assume they had the same idea - Being different.

But of course there's also the WCW influence in TNA as well. Fortune - Four Horsemen. It's obvious, however The Four Horsemen originated in NWA, it's still a thing to compare. There's a lot of things in theory that could be seen in WCW - TNA as well. And this is without dissing TNA, but there's a mess there at times. As well as with WCW.

On the other hand WWE seems to be purely influenced by WCW. There's not the same violence and difference in WWE that there were in ECW. Because there's no focus on being the different product for the world to watch. They are the product so to say.

We got The Nexus, a faction where fans were screaming NXTWO to compare to NWO. The product of WCW and WWE in truth were never that much a part. It was just another wrestling promotion with different storylines. This is why I have always said that WWE does not need to bring back WCW. Because it would just be another wrestling show.