ECW Title's Prestige Discussion

[Jack-Hammer]

The ECW Championship since it was reinstated back in 2006 has kind of helped launch the careers of a couple of guys, particularly John Morrison and CM Punk. Jack Swagger is another guy that seems to have gotten a rub from the title, he's the guy that a lot of people are picking to be the next big thing over on Raw. Even though Christian was already established before he left the WWE, I think it's been a good thing for him to be on ECW. He's been involved in some pretty good matches, he's carrying the ECW strap again now and will probably be moved from ECW during the next Draft. Things are looking up for him as well.

When I saw the title of this post, I knew that a poster would bring up comparrisons to the new and old ECW as obiwansidisi has. I can't blame someone if they're into the old ECW more, can't really blame anyone if they're into the new ECW more. I've never been overly thrilled about ECW at all, but I enjoy it more now really than I ever have. To me, the old ECW was a huge gimmick that I got tired of quickly. It seemed as though everytime I watched it, every match seemed to be a blood bath and the over the top brutality just got boring to me. In order to get ECW on network TV, it had to tone down much of what made it appealing to its audience to begin with, which made it nearly unwatchable for me.

I know lots will hold the old ECW in their hearts but, for me, I really don't miss it all that much.

 

[tLight]

I know there are those die hard, hard core to the bone old ECW fans, but its time you moved on. Its like 80's hair metal, it wasnt really that good, and its not going to come back. Dreamers the only original left, because of the rest of them well couldnt make the cut, they sucked, get over it. Its a different time, and Pro-Wrestling is a completely different animal than it used to be. Sure you can blame it on the PG era, but those kids parents are keeping Vince and everyone else in the WWE's bankroll rolling. ECW in its old form couldnt hack it, thus is the reason it was bought by the WWE and restructured. If you want crappy gimmicks and bad storylines I suggest you start watching TNA, because that Old ECW you hope for will never make a return.

That being said lest talk about the New ECW, how its the C Show, and how the Title is at a lower level than the IC and US Title.
The shows a good place for younger stars to establish a name for themselves, and to test out gimmicks. Dreamer and Christian are the only long term vets on the show, and well neither one of them are really that interesting or worth talking about, so Ill move on. In the past two years we've seen some great talent developed on ECW, CM Punk, the Miz and Morrison, Evan "Air" Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston. We've also seen a few established vets repackaged and improved, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, and Kane.

In terms of who's held the ECW Title...well thats totally different. The biggest star to hold it has been Mr. McMahon, Steve Austin, followed by RVD, Big Show, and CM Punk. Sorry but those old ECW guys dont matter, because none of them are doing a god damn thing worth mentioning now.

You may long for your old ECW, but as I stated earlier you wont see it come back. Do you really want to see Terry Funk, Jerry Lynn, Justin Credible, New Jack and Mikey Whipwreck in the WWE today? Let alone any of those other talentless hacks that the Old ECW employed? Most of them got a shot in the WWE and couldnt cut it, thats why their not in the WWE anymore.

If you dont like it, dont watch it. I for one will still tune in to see the up and coming stars of ECW, and to skip past anything that involves the Bella Twins, Christian, Dreamer, or Washington

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I’m sorry… I’m going to make a lot of people angry at this, but I have to say it… I have to! I’m old skool… I remember growing up in Brooklyn, we had channel 52 on public access. ECW would run straight from the Bingo Hall in Philly (the REAL ECW arena) I followed them from public TV, to underground (DVD only), to CMT, to TNN, to now… What you see now… this is s**t! It’s not even 1/3rd of what ECW was. Vince destroys what he doesn’t create. How many “ECW originals” are left? He got rid of the logo, the music, the colors… he even got rid of the camera crew… seriously! Everything is WWE. Tommy Dreamer is the only thing left. ECW is nothing more than a DV fed. Nothing will bring credibilty to the belt... it's not the real belt... it's not the real fed... that’s it.

Please… don’t be offended by this, ECW is good if you like that sort of thing, ECW will be credible if Stephanie wants that for her birthday…

You can't just re-use old ECW guys or make ECW what it was 15 years ago. First of all Vince has to cater to the networks and no network wants the old ECW. No network wanted ECW when it was at its best why would they want the guys now when they are older and not as good? ECW was great for what it was which was more of an underground type fed. Once it went mainstream...TNN it sucked.

Of course what you see now is not the old ECW but you can never get that back.

 

[Blue Chipper]

The wrestler that I believe has benefited most from the ECW title, while making it look more credible is Jack Swagger. That championship catapulted him, from being looked upon as reasonable to an unquestionable top tier main eventer; no one had any skepticism of how good he was. This played a major role on his career, as it was his first championship, and made him look beliveable. He's now on Raw; in part becasue he was a prominent superstar on ECW, and the title validated that, and it exemplified how superb of a heel he was.

The title was meaningful, moreso than it has ever been. Fueds had largish spans, and everyone involved appeared to have a thurst for the gold (well, silver). The feuds were executed nicely. And the matches themeselves were excellent, for the most part. Thereby, making the ECW title look more legit on swagger's abdomen than any other man before him, or since.

So, Jack Swagger becasue it showcased how good he actually was, and made the title belt look eventful.

 

[Black Snow]

I'm made this speech before so bare with me. To me, ECW is like FCW but with national exposure. It's an entire brand dedicated to making new stars. It's also peppered with veterans who can give the young guys a rub and others who are getting a second or third chance at being a star.

If you're an old skool fan of the original ECW then you should LOVE this. This is essentially what the old ECW was like minus the hardcore action. ECW was known for making new stars and giving guys who would have never gotten a chance otherwise the chance they deserve. Shelton Benjamin had a hard time being a big name on RAW and SD after several missteps but on ECW he could be the flagship wrestler. Christian has been gone from the WWE for so long. Time on ECW is reestablishing him so that by next year's draft he can jump to RAW or SD as a top guy. Jack Swagger was nothing and was built up to be a huge threat in just a few months. With so many wrestlers vying for spots he probably wouldn't have had this chance on the other two brands to rise so high so quickly.

As far as great ECW Champs go I have to name Christian, CM Punk, John Morrison, Bobby Lashley and Jack Swagger. Those are easy ones. Each one used the ECW to establish or reestablish themselves. All of them (minus Christian since he's so current) have used their title reigns to springboard to more importance on RAW and SD.

Some title reigns are less interesting. Poor Chavo Guerrero. He stole the title and barely ever retained it. Then he jobbed like crazy at 'Mania. But had he been treated with more credibility Chavo arguably could have had the biggest run of his entire career.

It's so easy to rip on the new ECW but since it's returned it has produced more good champions than bad ones and most everyone who has held the title has moved on to a better place than where they were prior to their time in ECW.

 

[The Doctor]

Hands down, it's Christian. Him winning the title twice, as well as returning to ECW to become a big fish in a small pond, really legitimized the title in my eyes. He made it seem like something you want. He made it seem important, just like any other title. It's no longer a stepping stone. Its a prized commodity.

 

[dashthestanpeat]

Dreamers the only original left, because of the rest of them well couldnt make the cut, they sucked, get over it. ECW in its old form couldnt hack it, thus is the reason it was bought by the WWE and restructured.

Alright, I just took the parts where you didn't repeat yourself and chose to respond to them. On this point, you are a dolt. Most of the ECW wrestlers couldn't make the cut? Yeah, that's why Vince had a talent exchange in the late 90's. Way to go dumbass. Tazz was in WWE for years, and had a pretty good wrestling career with them. RVD was a tag champ, a WWE champ, etc. The Dudleys held the tag titles. Hell, let's go further back, you know who else wrestled in ECW? Let's list: Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Lance Storm, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Malenko, Mysterio, and Ron Simmons, just to name a few. So yeah, think before you type.

Dreamer and Christian are the only long term vets on the show, and well neither one of them are really that interesting or worth talking about, so Ill move on.

Yeah, neither of them are that interesting. You've never heard of charisma, have you? Christian's got a ton of it.

Sorry but those old ECW guys dont matter, because none of them are doing a god damn thing worth mentioning now.

I picked this quote to mention that RVD was hacking it quite well in WWE, but left because he found out his wife had cancer. So yeah, some of them might not have been able to hack it, but there were quite a few that could. And you have to remember that if it's not a VKM original, he will bury it (i.e. goldberg).

 

[obiwansidisi]

I know there are those die hard, hard core to the bone old ECW fans, but its time you moved on. Its like 80's hair metal, it wasnt really that good, and its not going to come back. Dreamers the only original left, because of the rest of them well couldnt make the cut, they sucked, get over it. Its a different time, and Pro-Wrestling is a completely different animal than it used to be. Sure you can blame it on the PG era, but those kids parents are keeping Vince and everyone else in the WWE's bankroll rolling. ECW in its old form couldnt hack it, thus is the reason it was bought by the WWE and restructured. If you want crappy gimmicks and bad storylines I suggest you start watching TNA, because that Old ECW you hope for will never make a return.

That being said lest talk about the New ECW, how its the C Show, and how the Title is at a lower level than the IC and US Title.
The shows a good place for younger stars to establish a name for themselves, and to test out gimmicks. Dreamer and Christian are the only long term vets on the show, and well neither one of them are really that interesting or worth talking about, so Ill move on. In the past two years we've seen some great talent developed on ECW, CM Punk, the Miz and Morrison, Evan "Air" Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston. We've also seen a few established vets repackaged and improved, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, and Kane.

In terms of who's held the ECW Title...well thats totally different. The biggest star to hold it has been Mr. McMahon, Steve Austin, followed by RVD, Big Show, and CM Punk. Sorry but those old ECW guys dont matter, because none of them are doing a god damn thing worth mentioning now.

You may long for your old ECW, but as I stated earlier you wont see it come back. Do you really want to see Terry Funk, Jerry Lynn, Justin Credible, New Jack and Mikey Whipwreck in the WWE today? Let alone any of those other talentless hacks that the Old ECW employed? Most of them got a shot in the WWE and couldnt cut it, thats why their not in the WWE anymore.

If you dont like it, dont watch it. I for one will still tune in to see the up and coming stars of ECW, and to skip past anything that involves the Bella Twins, Christian, Dreamer, or Washington

I hate to jump on the bashing, but you asked for it...
---McMahon Held the belt because it's his company! Are you going to tell the guy who signs your paycheck that he can't play dress up whenever he wants?...
---There would be no SCSA without ECW, that's where he developed the character...
---No it would unrealistic to pine away for the old ECW guys to get back into the ring... wait a minute, wasn't Rey Mysterio in ECW? Why yes, he was...
---If not for Jerry Lynn, there would be no X division...
---If not for Terry Funk, there would be no standard set, to which the Hardys, Edge and Undertaker wrestle... where do you think the idea of "Hell in a cell" came from?
---Couldn't cut it in the WWE? No... Vince's boys couldn't hang with Sabu, flipping into table after table, after table untill his shins bled, or Mike Awesome, who had one of the best feuds in hstory with Tanaka. Remember when Foley fell from the top of the cage? Tanaka did it first. or how about the submission machines Taz and Benoit? Samoa Joe anyone? No, Joe isn't from the WWE, but he picked up where those two left off.
Where do you think Triple H's Impact Spinebuster comes from? Justin Credible. Where do you think Jeff Hardy gets the high flying from? Mikey Whipwreck, and as far as New Jack is concerned... half of the WWE roster couldn't even attempt, much less have the balls to try and pull of what he's done, and still doing on the Indy circuit. Before you try and step on history son, you need to know a bit of it first...

 

[conradhunter]

ecw was better in 2006 then it is now hell even 2007 was better then what ecw is right now. i kind of like ecw 2009 cos they bring new wrestlers. they dont have enough poeple going for the title olny dreamer and christen THEY NEED NEW POEPLE GOING FOR THE ECW TITLE then it might get a little better

 

[tLight]

It’s interesting that most of the guys you’re bringing up from the "Old ECW" didn’t make it through the WCW/ECW/WWE Invasion or had already moved on to the WWE before that happened.

Someone mentioned Triple H's spine buster coming from Justin Credible, try Arn Anderson, you know that former member of the 4-Horsemen, I think he's a backstage trainer still employed by the WWE, and not a cook at an Olive Garden in New Jersey.

None of these people were in ECW when it was restructured, so they don't count. They may have all launched from there, but for most of them their best work has been done in the WWE. This includes Jericho, Guerrero, and Steve Austin, and Mick Foley, Nice try though

Tazz was in WWE for years, and his best years will be remembered as the commentator on Smackdown. Next please

Charisma + Christian = does not compute
Christian is one of the most overrated wrestlers in the WWE. I don't know what it is that gets fans, and the people who post here behind such a pathetic person, but it’s getting old. He's not a big fish in a small pond, he's a middle carder on the mid card show where he will probably stay.

 

[Prolific]

Yeah, but you got to think of it this way. How many main eventers are there in ECW? The championship has changed into a championship for people looking to prove themselves as the biggest person on ECW. And since ECW is now a training brand for people, I feel that the title represents the smartest person in the class (metaphorically speeking). You may not feel that it is the 3rd most important title because of the intercontinental and stuff. But look at how many people who have held the title and gone onto greater things:
John Morrison, now having matches at main event level on SD!
CM Punk, now the World Heavyweight Champion and two time, MitB winner.
Swagger, is now on Monday nights, and I'm sure he will benefit in the future.

I admit that not everyone has been so benefitted by the title, but most of those people have already made a name for themselves so it wouldn't make much sense their career extending because of it. They give the title to already named superstars so that they can have someone young and new come in and make a name for themselves.
Think of it this way:

McMahon held it so it made Lashley look good in the end of their feud.
CM Punk and Morrison held it and fueded together to help each other out.
Chavo held to further extend making CM Punk look good.
Kane? (Well that was just fun when he beat Chavo in 12 seconds).
Mark Henry held it to make Matt Hardy look cool.
Swagger made his own way with it, not really having a big guy help him.
At the moment, I believe Dreamer is helping out Christain and then mabye someone else.

To some up what I'm saying, yes the ICNTL and US represent to difference between mid-card and main event. But the ECW championship represents the difference between a small show like ECW into being ready for one of the big two (SD! and RAW)...

This is just really my opinion, so if you disagree, fair enough. But these are the reasons why I believe this title is the 3rd most important in the WWE.

Extremely accurate post.
As an original ECW die hard fan, it disgusted me how the reincarnation was a terrible representation of the ECW brand.
BUT...
I can now say that I like ECW, and what the ECW Championship can do for up and coming wrestlers, and wrestlers who would otherwise be known for next to nothing.

Here are some wrestlers (as well as the previously mentioned)
Chavo Guerrero - the highlight of his career; at least he can retire saying that he has been a World Champion for a credible promotion. Especially after the mirage of Hornswoggle embarassments.
Kane - brought some life to an otherwise suffocating career.
Morrison - although the title win was premature, at least it brought him some notoriety.
Christian - a fast way to make him a main event player after coming from TNA.
Dreamer - HE DESERVED AT LEAST THAT MUCH for as hard as he has worked in his career. Especially compared to his previous ECW title reign.
Matt Hardy - after he left ECW... 'nuff said.

ECW as a whole is actually a good "resume builder." I'm sure ppl like Regal and Benjamin would be satisfied with the ECW title, b/c they most likely won't have any other World Championship during their careers, due to failed opportunities.

 

[The Doctor]

We all know that the ECW title is seen as the stepping stone title, something for old-timers to get as a reward, or for newcomers to win in order to see if they can carry a brand. With the exception of Lashley, not one person has held the title twice.

Until now.

Christian is a veteran, and now a two-time ECW champion. In my eyes, his second win legitimized the title. He showed that the ECW Championship is something he wants, and his feud with Swagger greatly helped the title's value. Both wrestlers wanted the title badly, and it made it seem like a prized commodity, something to be proud of.

Do you think the ECW Title has gained prestige these past few months with Swagger, Dreamer, and Christian? Swagger certainly wanted the title back, as did Henry. Dreamer was willing to put his career on the line to get the belt. Christian came back specifically to ECW, just to get his hands on that championship, and he worked until he earned it not once but twice.

How prestigious has the ECW Championship become? What do you see for it in the future? If someone like Vladimir Kozlov or William Regal gets it, will that bump the title up even more?

 

[Checkmate]

I actually think that ECW as a brand has gained some prestige this year, and this obviously benefits the title picture. Sure, the title is still a prop, but it seems like it is worth a bit more than before.

ECW is the training grounds of the WWE, but hasn't always showcased talent like it should have. Mark Henry and Matt Hardy dominated the main event scene of ECW for the latter portion of 2008. Where this got a bit stale, Jack Swagger then emerged and became a solid ECW champion. I'm still a bit sad that ECW didn't make the card at Wrestlemania, which could have showcased Swagger as a good champion. However, I digress. Since Swagger became champion, we then had Christian and Dreamer picking up title wins while Swagger grew wings and flew off to Raw.

So, the Vets are back in control of the brand, but it hasn't really gotten stale again. For the first time since Lashley (correct me if I'm wrong), the title has passed back to a previous holder. Now, Christian has a surplus of potential title contenders. While I doubt that one of the newest guys will immediately move up to title contention, there are still many others on the brand that are capable of performing in a main event situation.

To answer the question then, yes I believe Christian holding the title again gives the belt some prestige. Is it a tier 1 championship? No. However, ECW has really come a long way in the past 6 months, and is something to watch in the near future.

 

[The Doctor]

Exactly. There are so many possible contenders: Goldust, Regal, Kozlov, Dreamer, and even Benjamin are solid contenders for the title. Also, ECW has been booked with very good sense recently, having a balance of wrestling and entertainment. feuds are developing properly, and matches have been good. ECW seems like a proper brand now, and the ECW title is just slightly higher than the IC title, in my eyes. And that's good.

 

[Dave]

No.

The ECW title is what it always has been and always will be, a stepping stone to bigger things. Just because more veterans have won it does not make it something bigger than it is. What makes a belt is the competition that you have to go through to get it. There is absolutely nothing on ECW. Nothing at all. I think there is like 1 feud. Who cares!? I agree with you that Christian winning it is a big thing in the current state of the ECW championship but do not forget who won the belt before him when ECW was an independent company. Jimmy Snuka, Rob Van Dam, Raven, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. It doesn't need any prestige in it's current form. It is a stepping stone and it will always find it hard to compete with the likes of the US title and the Intercontinental title.

 

[Blue Chipper]

I don't think Christian exclusively brought the ECW title worth, as I think when Christian won the title his second time, the title was already treasured, and valuable.

Do you think the ECW Title has gained prestige these past few months with Swagger, Dreamer, and Christian? Swagger certainly wanted the title back, as did Henry. Dreamer was willing to put his career on the line to get the belt. Christian came back specifically to ECW, just to get his hands on that championship, and he worked until he earned it not once but

Right here is what I agree with. I think every man involved in recent feuds for the title had an appetite, or thurst for it; Wrestlers such as Dreamer, Christian, sawgger, etc. desired the title greatly, and the feuds they had with one another reflected that. The matches were competetive, whith both guys going out to win it. Furthermore, the matches, angles, and feuds were well done in comparison to earlier WWECW. That's why I think the ECW slowly gained meaning, with some contribution by Christian, by the collective feuds full of thurst for the gold (silver, actually), and the competetive matches that turned out excellent.

Good thread and opinion Doc, and in conclusion, the ECW title gained great value when feuds started to become competetive and matches were great. Christian didn't soley do this, but the entire wrestlers involved in the recent main event scene.

 

[sports_fan_2007]

I have to agree in the last year the ECW title has gained presitge. When the brand first started the title had some prestige but once Lashley left I feel the whole brand went down hill and the title jus went to the waste side. But now I believe the title and the brand is on the rise again. Sad to say that this 1 hour show is sometimes better written and more entertaining than the A Show but thats the way I feel right now

 

[The Doctor]

No.

The ECW title is what it always has been and always will be, a stepping stone to bigger things. Just because more veterans have won it does not make it something bigger than it is. What makes a belt is the competition that you have to go through to get it. There is absolutely nothing on ECW. Nothing at all. I think there is like 1 feud. Who cares!? I agree with you that Christian winning it is a big thing in the current state of the ECW championship but do not forget who won the belt before him when ECW was an independent company. Jimmy Snuka, Rob Van Dam, Raven, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. It doesn't need any prestige in it's current form. It is a stepping stone and it will always find it hard to compete with the likes of the US title and the Intercontinental title.

Maybe to you, Dave, but I feel the ECW Title is at least more prestigious than the US Title. The ECW title gets defended regularly on PPV, unlike the US Title. Jericho and Mysterio have raised the IC title's prestige really high, but ECW has one title in its whole brand. Every person on the roster wants that title. Doesn't that make it seem huge?
Christian (at least, in kayfabe) seems to have no desire to move to any of the other brands. He's perfectly content with his ECW title, taking on all comers. Dreamer wanted that title so much he threatened to quit if he didn't get it. Putting your career on the line for the title (this is all storyline-prestige, I mean) makes it seem like something amazing in my eyes. To the casual fan, doesn't the ECW title seem that much more important?
And I'm not talking about the classic ECW Championship.

I don't think Christian exclusively brought the ECW title worth, as I think when Christian won the title his second time, the title was already treasured, and valuable.

You're right, of course, but I meant that it all came to a head with Christian's regaining of the title. Sorry, should've made that more clear.

 

[dashthestanpeat]

It’s interesting that most of the guys you’re bringing up from the "Old ECW" didn’t make it through the WCW/ECW/WWE Invasion or had already moved on to the WWE before that happened.

Someone mentioned Triple H's spine buster coming from Justin Credible, try Arn Anderson, you know that former member of the 4-Horsemen, I think he's a backstage trainer still employed by the WWE, and not a cook at an Olive Garden in New Jersey.

None of these people were in ECW when it was restructured, so they don't count. They may have all launched from there, but for most of them their best work has been done in the WWE. This includes Jericho, Guerrero, and Steve Austin, and Mick Foley, Nice try though

Tazz was in WWE for years, and his best years will be remembered as the commentator on Smackdown. Next please

Charisma + Christian = does not compute
Christian is one of the most overrated wrestlers in the WWE. I don't know what it is that gets fans, and the people who post here behind such a pathetic person, but it’s getting old. He's not a big fish in a small pond, he's a middle carder on the mid card show where he will probably stay.

Wow did you miss the point. You didn't say anything about the restructuring in the beginning, you simply said the old ECW sucks, and the wrestlers in it couldn't hack it. You were proven wrong with examples. I guarantee you walk up to any of those ECW alumni, tell them that the old product sucked, and they would prove you wrong too. Hell, walk up to any fan of the old ECW and tell them it sucked. And I'm not talking about IWC fans. I'm talking about the fans that went to EVERY show, whether in the bingo hall or elsewhere. Tell them that and see which one knocks you on your ass. See, your statement that it sucked, that it wasn't that good, that the wrestlers couldn't hack it, that's just proven wrong by the devotion of their fanbase. And if you want to talk about the restructuring, as I said, it's not the fact that the wrestlers weren't good, or that the characters they portrayed weren't good. It's merely the fact that if Vince himself did not create it, or have a hand in creating it, he WILL go out of his way to destroy it. Point being, the wrestlers in the old ECW were very good performers, they could hack it in the wwe, and the general ECW product was good, as evidenced by the fanbase they had.

And hell, you want to bring up Jericho and Guererro's best work? It was probably done in either Mexico or Japan.

On to the subject of Christian. The only reason his charisma doesn't compute with you is because you probably wouldn't know charisma if it dickslapped you. The man can work a crowd, whether you recognize it or not, and if you don't believe it, watch some of his older work. It's like you're not even basing your opinion on anything solid, just shooting diarrhea from your brain, to your fingertips, to the computer screen. I'm all for sarcasm with your little "nice try" comments and all that, but fyi, i probably won't respond well to it.

 

[Dave]

Maybe to you, Dave, but I feel the ECW Title is at least more prestigious than the US Title. The ECW title gets defended regularly on PPV, unlike the US Title.

Make no mistake here Doc, the only reason that the ECW title os ona PPV every month is because they have to legitimize the show and the championship. I swear to God, if they did not have an ECW title match every month I would forget all about the show. In my opinion, the only reason that that title is defended every month is because they have to. They are trying to legitimize it as a great title to have but it is not.

Jericho and Mysterio have raised the IC title's prestige really high, but ECW has one title in its whole brand. Every person on the roster wants that title. Doesn't that make it seem huge?

Maybe everyone wants it Doc but how many people really have a chance of winning it in all seriousness? 2 or 3 maybe. Kozlov, Christian and Tommy Dreamer are besically the guys on the show. No one cares about the feuds that these h=guys can give us. Raw especially is packed with talent. It means that getting the title is much harder and when you do eventually achieve it, you get more prestige along with the title.

Christian (at least, in kayfabe) seems to have no desire to move to any of the other brands. He's perfectly content with his ECW title, taking on all comers.

Well yeah, of course he is. That is the top title on a show that he is exclusive to. He cannot go any further at this point. If had won the title and then nonchalantly brushed it off, it would have done the exact opposite of giving the title credibility. Make no mistake, Christian had to show that he was pleased to win it. Doing anything else would have damaged the title so much more than help it.

Dreamer wanted that title so much he threatened to quit if he didn't get it. Putting your career on the line for the title (this is all storyline-prestige, I mean) makes it seem like something amazing in my eyes. To the casual fan, doesn't the ECW title seem that much more important?

To me that just sounds like the WWE trying to play off the emotions of the fans, who clearly didn't want Dreamer ot leave the show. WWE are clever. No way in a million years would Dreamer give up his legendary career for that title. No way.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

I would actually add Matt Hardy to the list of people who seemed to have made the ECW Championship seem more prestigous. Hardy made it clear that after he lost the United States Championship, since he was on ECW, he would stop at nothing to get that ECW Championship. Although, it took him three matches to win it, it still showed that he really wanted it. Jack Swagger won the title on his first try and wore the title proudly every time you saw him, which still disappoints me that he didn't get a chance to defend the title at his first Wrestlemania. Christian said from Day One, ''I will win the ECW Championship'', and he proved that he can... twice! Tommy Dreamer has been waiting to win back the ECW Championship since he lost it 25 minutes after winning it in 2000. He really showed a passion for winning the title every single week, until he did it. And for his entire reign, he wore the ECW Championship with pride, honor, and respect.

So, I really like what the WWE is doing with the ECW Championship. They are really making it seem a lot more like the World Title that it's really supposed to be.

 

[The Doctor]

Make no mistake here Doc, the only reason that the ECW title os ona PPV every month is because they have to legitimize the show and the championship. I swear to God, if they did not have an ECW title match every month I would forget all about the show. In my opinion, the only reason that that title is defended every month is because they have to. They are trying to legitimize it as a great title to have but it is not.

Well, those who actually watch ECW certainly don't forget about it. This is more a question for those who actually watch it. To the fans that don't, they still see it defended on every PPV. Think about that. The US title doesn't get defended on every PPV, and that's on the "A" show. People see it, but they forget about it. The ECW Title is the only thing on ECW and if you actually watch it you certainly are't going to forget about it. ECW's a fantastic little show. Try it out sometime.
As for it being on a PPV legitimizing the show and title, isn't that the whole point? It certainly has worked for the IC title recently.

Maybe everyone wants it Doc but how many people really have a chance of winning it in all seriousness? 2 or 3 maybe. Kozlov, Christian and Tommy Dreamer are besically the guys on the show. No one cares about the feuds that these h=guys can give us. Raw especially is packed with talent. It means that getting the title is much harder and when you do eventually achieve it, you get more prestige along with the title.

Nobody cares? The people who watch ECW certainly care. In my opinion it's the best brand around. Just about any member of the ECW roster can jump up a take a shot at the title in a pinch. It shows something in my opinion when every single member is talented enough to make a grab for the gold. And like it or not, the ECW Title is still a title. I'm not trying to say it's a World Heavyweight Championship or a WWE Championship, but it's still a title. The owner of the title can proudly say they've earned it. And adding veterans that really care about the title, along with strong newcomers who care just as much, has raised the title's prestige.

Well yeah, of course he is. That is the top title on a show that he is exclusive to. He cannot go any further at this point. If had won the title and then nonchalantly brushed it off, it would have done the exact opposite of giving the title credibility. Make no mistake, Christian had to show that he was pleased to win it. Doing anything else would have damaged the title so much more than help it.

Exactly, and the casual fans watching it had to have felt something. Say you went out to a competition and the guy who won made the trophy seem like the greatest honor o his life. Wouldn't that make you feel like it was something important, at least to that guy? It's a similar situation. In kayfabe, the ECW Title's prestige has been raised because people are fighting to gain and regain it.

To me that just sounds like the WWE trying to play off the emotions of the fans, who clearly didn't want Dreamer ot leave the show. WWE are clever. No way in a million years would Dreamer give up his legendary career for that title. No way.

And you know what? It worked. No one here thought Dreamer would win, and yet he did. Everyone expected him to lose, and retire as GM. When he won, he stayed. It was incredible. No one expected it, and it was a great moment. Not only was Dreamer staying, he also became the top guy in "his" brand. He sold the fuck out of winning that title, along with Christian. In kayfabe, that title is extremely important to the brand and the wrestlers in that brand.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

From now on, keep the discussion about the ECW title's worth in here. We don't need 10 threads about the value of the same championship.

 

[Amarillo del Bosque Verde]

RVD-Brought Prestige
Show-Good Champ
Lashley-Brought Downfall
Vince-Considered as low as the Cruiserweight title
Lashley-Only for a few weeks so might be considered a transitional run
Morrison-Great push and deserved the title
Punk-Continued to keep prestige, though not as much as the original was in 06
Chavo-eeh...
Kane-Ok champ but not like Morrison or Punk
Mark-Same
Matt-Better but still lower
Swagger-Fully mid-card
Christian and Dreamer-Finally brought up to punk and morrison's level(not rvd yet)

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The ECW Title didn't really have any prestige to begin with. It was doomed from the start when RVD won it. After he got busted, they put it on Big Show who basically faced only RAW or Smackdown superstars so that wasn't good for the title. Then Lashley won it, and he was in the Trump/McMahon angle and he barely defended it all and the list goes on. Out of all the champs I would say Henry was the best one because he was booked as a dominant force on ECW and had some of the best matches of his career. He may be surpassed by Christian but we'll see in a couple of months.