If WWE would have kept the WWECW format would WWECW still be around?

[Savion83]

I see over in TNA there trying to do there own version of "ECW" down in Orlando by bringing Tommy Dreamer at there most recent PPV.

But I remember back in the WWE in '06 when they debut the now deceased ECW brand on SyFy on Tuesday nights. And their WWECW format was somewhat of a throwback to the old ECW format back in the 90's (minus the bingo hall). The entrance way, the low-key ring, and their matches were all EXTREME RULES in the beginning stages. Remember the Sandman Vs. the Zombie match-up? And the ECW "weapons legal" battle royal all in the same night?

It had a good six month run at first with the Big Show as it's dominant WWECW champion and the first (and only) EXTREME elimination chamber that took place at first (and only) "December to Disminber" pay per view. And then after the great ECW Originals vs. New Breed fued ended, so did the old ECW format and WWECW got more watered down and eventully defuncted never to be seen again.

So my question is, if Vince McMahon would have kept the original ECW format in his "ECW". Would WWECW still be around today? Or atlease have another years run on SyFy?

 

[jaywalkingbackwards]

before i answer your question, id like to add that these "what if" scenario posts are kind of redundant. shit happens for a reason. wwe changed the format to save money, and the new set is a hd friendly titantron. and no, keeping the format wouldnt have saved wweecw because people would complain that its raping the original paul heyman creation. ratings were down and it would have never been the same as the original.

 

[blair4107]

Yes, it would still be around. Syfy didn't really seem to mind the lower ratings and the show wasn't hurting WWE too much. I am honestly very surprised Superstars has stayed on tv as long as it has. Plus Syfy would like to get Smackdown soon so they probably would be pretty forgiving with ECW's ratings just for that.

The problem is the concept of "ECW" was long gone. How can you be extreme but have no weapons and no bleeding? It was bad enough when they just started to occasionally have extreme rules matches. The only real option to keep it "extreme" would be to make it an all cruiserweight show. Having it more fast paced and high flying is really the only way to go.

 

[webby_15-0]

i was too young to see the original ECW so when WWECW came out I watched it all the time. however when it changed to the new ECW version I stopped watching it. so yes, I think it would still be going today because I bet I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the new original ECW. but then again, ive bin watching NXT every week and this is much more appropriate for the PG rating. after all the new original ECW could never be shown on a PG rated show.

btw this comment probably makes no sense

 

[Twanfusco]

So basically what you're asking is if wwe kept ecw in it's extreme format, would it still be around today? From a personal standpoint I would be watching it as it makes a change from raws shenanigans but as Im a logical person I can see from a business standpoint and the path wwe has taken that it was never gonna survive, extreme or not. So if ur asking if I think it would have lasted longer if kept extreme then no, not under the wwe banner under any circumstances.

 

[TheAnimal]

To be honest it is dependent on a number of things.

Firstly is the PG rating which WWE now have. It would be hard to present so many extreme rules matches every week without them seeming crappy and tame because nobody would be able to be busted open, no chair shots to the head and the limit of what can be used obviously i.e. no barbed wire.

Secondly is dependent on keeping the originals in there so they can still have the ECW connection and not seem like the WWE hardcore division is being revived because you have low level WWE superstars on there.

It is also dependent on the arena/set up. You mentioned above that it had the classic looking stage but it then started getting taped with Smackdown so it is hard to see them a) using 2 sets and b) making ECW get taped by itself. Unless they did it the whole time with Smackdown, i might be mistaken on that.

 

[Dave]

Would it have been given another year or so? I hope not.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I liked WWECW. However, it was becoming really stale really quickly and was not even wrth calling “the third show of WWE” when it was cancelled and for good reason. The fact of the matter was that is was not bringing in nearly enough entertainment or viewers to make it sustainable. SyFy seemed happy with it and I am sure that someone, somewhere was still happy that ECW existed in some form. I am no ECW fan. I barely ever watched the old ECW but I know that it had quite a considerable cult following. Everyone talked about ECW as if it was some insult to the original ECW brand but I would beg to differ.

ECW was fun whilst it was going on but it’s concept was dated. You didn’t need to have blood and chair shots in every match to be able to deliver a good product and with the evolution of wrestling being like it today, it is no surprise that ECW evolved too. Vince took it on and tried to bring it into the new generation of wrestling. Basically, he tried to find a medium with the show that never really existed. ECW seemed like an edgier WWE product for a while but you can’t splice hardcore matches and angles with child friendly material, it’s just not going to work on any level and I think that was the main problem with WWECW.

I enjoyed it whilst it lasted and it did bring attention to some really good talent whilst it ran. John Morrison, The Miz and CM Punk all got their big breaks there and we should be thankful for that. NXT is a much better concept that doesn’t need to tread the same lines that ECW did and has been more successful because of that. ECW was dated and really couldn’t survive under the WWE. I am glad it is off of TV now.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

Why would the PG rating have to affect the WWE brand of ECW?
Popstars and rock bands are known to release "explicit" and "edited" versions of albums, so both the kids and a more mature audience can enjoy their music.
Why couldn't ECW be an "explicit" WWE for the older fans?
SyFy is a different channel completely, they could have a later time slot, no cross over with Raw or Smackdown at all, no mention on Superstars and other such shows. WWE's brand of ECW could operate as a separate entity intact with the hardcore. Such a circumstance would also allow talent trading and such, not onscreen-wise, but any wrestler who was sick of the PG era WWE could be fired or retired onscreen in the main WWE product so they could redebut in ECW away from the prying eyes of the WWE fanbase. It could be marketed as a completely separate entity too, no ads during Raw or Smackdown, but ads on during late night TV shows that an "Attitude era" style of audience would most likely be watching.
I admit it would take a lot of effort and with WWE's success, why would they bother?
But I think an ECW formatted version of this "WWECW", as you call it, could have worked well under the correct circumstances

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

No..it would ahve eventually retired anyway...C'mon, you don't think the hardcore legends like Sandman, Sabu, rvd, dreamer and other ecw originals like mahoney were going to stay in WWE forever did you...they were the reason why people watched the WWECW show...those guys were simply getting old and probably didn't like Vince...and they were going to go eventually..WWE couldn't get their own homegrown hardcore wrestlers like they did back in 90's...Also another reason...with those wrestlers I mentioned before...and the new PG rating...I mean when the PG came in..WWECW died straight away IMO...

 

[MammaJamma22]

before i answer your question, id like to add that these "what if" scenario posts are kind of redundant. shit happens for a reason.

Then don't read these posts or respond to them. These types of posts tends to bring on some solid conversation, a chance to read varying opinions, and even hear some great ideas other members may have. Don't like it? Get lost.

 

[The Ultimate]

It seems most of you didn't really like the early WWECW, I was actually pretty fond of it. I mean most of you were still in the nostalgia of the old one. But I preferred this one, because it had everything I could ask for in prowrestling.

But to answer your question, I do not think it will exist in today's wrestling world. Simply because of the PG rating, which means less intensity. I mean, I am not asking for blood all the time but I really don't think it will survive.

 

[DWSlammer]

In a word, simply No. ECW in it's own right was unique and off the wall. It gave wrestling fans what they wanted to see. When it was bought out by WWE, it became just another ploy to enrich McMahon's already big pocketbook. The original ECW, if left to it's own would have staying power, but even with the "WWE" tagline to it, I don't see it surviving. So I'm going to say no.

 

[boozinjedi]

It would've stayed only as long as Tommy did,
notice how soon after Tommy "retired" that ECW went away..
he was the only link to the past...but in the end all things have their time.

Although Tommy has now turned up on TNA,which might get me to watch..more than Hogan ever could.
I thought it was a very classy thing to give Tommy the time for his "farewell" speech
(Beulah has not aged well)

BUT I do still miss original ECW!!!

 

[Suffy]

There was a number of reasons why the WWECW failed and i'll just list a few

1) Release of Paul Heyman
The creative genius behind the original ECW who had some creative control over the new ECW. Starting out I didn't think it was so bad and mirrored some of the original vision. However when he was gone it quickly became what it was.

2) Release of RVD, Test, Hardcore Holly, Elijah Burke, Sandman, Big Show, Sabu, and death of Chris Benoit
WWECW at one point actually had veteran stars to carry the product while building new ones. Unfortunately they did not last very long which really hurt the product from growing.

3) Bobby Lashley and Vince McMahon as ECW Champion
To be honest Lashley seems like a nice guy, but I really find him and his feud with Vince to be the main reason and turning point of its downfall. Lashley would become ECW champion only to appear and even have matches on RAW and SD. Not to mention his feud with Vince that led to even more screen time of the ECW champion on the wrong show. It doesn't help that Lashley had zero mic skills yet they were trying to push him as ECW's top guy. What is really funny though is at one point when Lashley held the ECW title they were trying to compare it to the WHC and WWE titles. Like when UT won the Royal Rumble on RAW the next night Lashley came out with the other title holders of SD and RAW.

4) Inevitable draft of Miz, Morrison, Matt Hardy, and CM Punk
This pretty much sealed the deal.

5) December to Dismember
It certainly wasn't a December to remember that is for sure.

With that said do I think WWECW would still be around today? Probably not. At its final stages it became more of a device to introduce new stars with the only few familiar faces being it's top star Christian. This is not to say it was not an entertaining product, but it would of never achieved its goal of becoming the next SD. It was losing direction, lack of star power, and deviated too much from its original incarnation. I could see it going under a name change, but then what would be the point? I just wish Zach Ryder would of won the title just once while it was still around though.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think so (although it would have only been for a few more years at best), I always thought one of the reasons the new ECW failed was because it really became the WWE's B-show next to RAW and Smackdown, they basically took the Extreme out of Extreme Championship Wrestling which is what drew people to ECW in the first place.

The only issue with that theory though is the ECW always played to a niche market and not to the masses which was also a big reason why ECW failed in the first place (well that and poor business decisions). I understand why the WWE made ECW the way it was, but really it came off as a watered down RAW or Smackdown, not a dominant 3rd brand. The '05 and '06 One Night Stand's were probably the best PPV's WWE produced for those years which makes me wonder if ECW could have survived in its Extreme format, but the best it would have done is probably a 1.5 in the ratings (which is quite better than WWECW), there are enough hardcore wrestling fans that would have watched the Extreme ECW to make it survive, but at the end of the day the WWE would have said "its not making enough money, lets shut it down", like they did with WWECW. The Extreme ECW may have survived a few more years, but eventually it would have went the way of the dodo (because people expect more in the ratings department with WWE because of their past. If TNA gets a 1.0 no big deal, If WWE gets a 1.0, they are in serious trouble).

 

[Suffy]

The only issue with that theory though is the ECW always played to a niche market and not to the masses which was also a big reason why ECW failed in the first place (well that and poor business decisions).

A quick comment about that. The problem with the original ECW initially was that it was actually too violent that several networks refused to carry it with some thinking that it was real. The Mass Transit incident also played a huge problem in it not reaching the market. However when it was aired on TNN when wrestling was a hot item it scored about the same if not better than the ratings of WWECW while competing directly with Nitro and RAW. This was also when ECW on TNN suffered several problems such as TNN not promoting it, demanding higher production quality standards they couldn't afford and then wrestlers like Taz going out the door. So obviously there is or was a good market to that type of product, but if it isn't being aired then nobody can watch it.

WWE was just trying to use the ECW name that carried a huge legacy with fans to eventually create a new SD. However as time passed people weren't fooled anymore once people like Big Show were champion and RVD was off the air.

One theory however is what if instead of calling it ECW.. they called it WCW Syfy? What would of happened?