Time for two hours?

[Tastycles]

ECW is at the strongest point it has ever been for quite some time. In this week's broadcast, the crowd reaction for the Christian v. Swagger match was as loud and good as anything on Raw on Monday.

Tyson Kidd is showing signs of being pure quality, and the fact he's hanging around with Natalya and wearing bright pink means we're a DH Smith away from the New Hart Foundation.

Speaking of Natalya, the brand has now got women on its roster for the first time in 9 months. It is the first time it has had three women since Brooke left in 2007.

There are actually long term angles on the show, with Dreamer's retirement storyline, Ricky Ortiz and Tiffany's falling for each other and the talent initiative.

With all of that in mind, is it time for ECW to add a second hour? While the roster isn't quite big enough for it yet, there are several wrestlers who are underutilized on the other brands that could be there as part of the talent exchange. People like Goldust, Ziggler, Ryan Braddock, Chalire Haas, Noble, Ryder and Hawkins, are essentially held in reserve. Why not give them something to do.

A second title could be added, either some form of the hardcore title coming back, for "the extreme" feel, the cruiserweight title being reinstated, or even the old ECW TV title could make a welcome return.

Given two hours, and some positive draft moves in April, the show could even head towards the 2.0 ratings, which would serve to boost the company's profile, and also to make TNA look like a crock of shit.

So what do you think? Should ECW double up, or should it stay the same?

 

[NSL]

I don't think ECW should go to two hours permanently. Yet.

They definitely have a growing fanbase, and an expanding roster. They could give it a trial run, and see what happens with the ratings, and more importantly, the added segments, that might not have made it onto an hour broadcast.

The best time, would be the day after the draft. Have the new bigshot the drafted open the show with a decent 10 minute segment, and then let the younger guys fill up the first hour with typical matches. Then, have the "more established" talent work the second hour. Have matches that we've all seen, but would be new to the newer viewing audience. Finlay v. Henry and Boogeyman v. Burchill for instance. Then, close the show with an epic match-up between Swagger and Christian for the title (or whoever is champ versus the new draft pick).

Then, go back to one hour broadcasts while the numbers are crunched, and stats are looked over. If it was a "success", then do it again, the Tuesday before SummerSlam. If that one is a success, then make it permanently two hours right after the Rumble. They need to walk before they can run, and they need to make sure the talent is capable of carrying a two hour show.

Adding a second (minor) title couldn't hurt. I've said before that a Hardcore Title would be perfect for an ECW show, and is almost guaranteed to gain them a few viewers.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

With the upcoming Superstars show that I don't think my area gets lol I'd have to say that they shouldn't boost ECW to two hours.

However, if they were to get rid of FCW and just move the new guys up to ECW, then that'd be a totally different story, as they'd actually have a big enough roster for a potential 2 hour outing. That ruins the training aspect though, as you can't sign a guy and immediately have him wrestling on TV, so I'm not advocating that at all.

No matter what, as much of a wrestling fan as I am, do we really need to have 6 hours of wrestling a week plus the 3 hour ppv that comes once a month? I think it'd be overkill.

 

[LayneStaleyLives]

They could have two hours, should you put a lot of the talent from other shows who are basically inactive: (Haas, Zigler, Goldust...) and while ECW does have an expanding television show in terms of not only roster, but interest and storylines... ECW gets about a match per PPV which is normally a climax for what we see on TV. Putting ECW on two hours kind of gives it the feel that it is directly in line with SmackDown or RAW which I dont think it is ready for yet... ECW is improving, but two hours wouldnt be wise at the moment unless it was like a special or something. And also, people at tapings would probably get tired/bored if they tape SmackDown on the same night...

 

[wiKid hoRse]

really it only needs 30 more minutes more. enough time for another match and some proper promo time. that keeps the show short enough that it doesn't feel drawn out with the limited talent.

 

[Splinter]

no way. the roster is way to thin. let's enlarge the roster a little bit, give it an extra 30 minutes and add another title, let's say the hardcore belt (i know that's not going to happen...) or move one of the womens titles to ecw.

or - even better, because this would make ecw worth watching every week for me - bring the cruiserweight title back and move the entire cruiserweight division to ecw. there are several wrestlers around who could compete for it, who are wasted as jobbers at the moment. i really miss the cruiserweight division, instead of that i have to watch crappy diva matches every week

 

[Y 2 Jake]

If people want it to go to two hours then WWE are doing something right. It's better to leave you wanting more. It's not like you frequently want to see more of Smackdown or Raw. In fact I think a lot of people would be perfectly happy if they shaved half an hour off each show.

The second ECW goes to two hours they'll need bigger stars on the show, and that would make it different from the show people appear to be enjoying at the moment.

It's a great place for wrestlers starting out to go, and it's a great show for aging stars to spend a could of months helping them out.

 

[ad21k]

ECW doesn't have the star power to go two hours. Look at TNA they have Angle and Sting and still can only draw the same as ECW. ECW of course benefits from brand loyalty, and better marketing but it would not be able to go to twohours with its current roster which is already waffer thin. It would also kinda defy the point of having ECW by bringing in too many big stars as its meant to be a place for the younger talent to learn with just a couple of established workers.

 

[supergav67]

I agree,but only IF ECW & FCW merge.
We all agree the original Heymans, ,ECW is gone,finally snuffed out when Dreamer leaves,.(he could win the title to SurprisE us but wouldnt it be more confusing than surprising) & that ECW gives falling stars a career boost while bringing FCW talent on,but there lies the problems,Where does FCW start & ECW finish.
The ingredients are there for a great development show.Striker on .color.Longs enthusiastic leadership.The stars of tomorrow getting TV time without the stress of being an instant hit that seams to be many FCW upgrades downfall.(goldman.Manu..Spears need I go on) I suggest bringing in a TV title giving the newcomers something to aim for as they get over the crowd & yes with expansion should come a Tag & Diva title IN TiMe.
Vince could merge them claiming cost cutting which means he wouldnt have to admit bringing E back was a mistake-as if he would!
The only thing that makes this seam immediatly pointless is little things,like hour long ECW having half its small roster not getting a look in while Tyson Kidd wrestles another "local competitor". again!

 

[Rusty]

No, ECW doesn't need to go two hours.

Raw + Smackdown + ECW = 5 hours of wrestling every week, excluding pay per views. Now, for those of you fools like myself who watch TNA iMPACT, that's 7 hours of new wrestling every week, so I certainly don't need any more than that. ECW isn't meant to be seen in the same light as Raw or Smackdown. ECW is where the new mid-carders get to grow and develop. No big stars are currently on ECW. Their biggest star is Christian, who has never held a World Title in the WWE before.

Not to mention that ECW's roster is roughly less than half the size of Raw and Smackdown's. Only 1 major storyline is focused on during the 1 hour show, so why change it now when the ratings for the show are really starting to improve? The WWE would be just wasting their time by expanding the length of the show. They should be busy focusing on their top two shows, with ECW occasionally being the center of attention (eg. when Christian returned).

TNA isn't worrying the WWE in the slightest. Their two hour show can't even beat a one hour show which is considered "third rate" compared to the red and blue brands. ECW is a place for the mid-carders, not the major stars. So there is no need to change something that is already working better and better with each passing year.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Not for now....I believe they have enough talent to go two hours if they bring some divas from RAW and Smackdown there because they have too many, but it's not necessary. ECW is good for the one hour they have right now and their ratings have increased so I don't see the change in the forseeable future.

 

[Mr. Serotonin]

Not yet, they still need a bigger roster, and more stars to help make the sho marketable. I can see it going for 2 hours in a few years time, especially if the WWE wants to make more cash and extend their business perameter

 

[MikeKillam]

ECW could only go two hours if a few things happened first.
The WWE needs to solidify it's borders again. The fact that the draft is coming up, means nothing now. Wrestlers are going all over the place to do whatever they want. ECW is the C show, yes, but it could be better if you looked at a guy and thought, "He is the face of ECW."
I also think that WWE would need to spend a little more time and money on it. They barely have enough talent right now to make the one hour slot work, but yet Smackdown and Raw have an overabundance of mid and low card talents.
I would love to see Vince have the balls to give ECW the top guys again. Guys like Big Show, Kurt Angle, and, well...Chris Benoit. Every show would then have enough guys for two or three serious feuds, and then a bunch of smaller matches.
If WWE would stop firing guys and use them instead. They could have kept Manu, sent Umage to ECW, and developed the ECW Tag Titles again. If every show had it's World Title, Mid Card Title, and Tag Titles, and nobody could cross brands except on the 4 main PPVs every year, things would work.
But now everything is a free for all, and ECW looks week because nobody is ACTUALLY an ECW star. Christian will leave eventually, and they will continue to use a mixture of new guys and burned out mid carders to fuel the show.

Christian as ECW Champ. Umaga/Manu as Tag Team Champs. Tommy Dreamer as the Hardcore champion. Bring back ECW somewhat, and have 3 titles. If they go 2 hours with things as they are, ECW will flop, people will get sick of it, and it will be an hour and a half of fill with a mediocre main event.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

E.C.W. does NOT need to go to 2-hours. They still honestly don't have a full roster. (Christian, Jack Swagger, Finlay, Tommy Dreamer, Gabriel, Kidd, & Burchill) That's 7 guys. One more than they'd need to create a single 6-man tag Main Event.

The show is coming along, because it's getting talent from the other brands to help it out. Kane, Miz & Morrison (who're apparently on all 3 brands now) and Punk. Without the help from the other brands, E.C.W. wouldn't even be worth a full single hour. Much less an additional 2nd one.

I agree with something that Jake said. "Leave them wanting more."

Fact is, he's right. Raw and Smackdown aren't worth being at 2 hours right now. They put on a lot of squash matches, and stupid matches in total, with only all of the important stuff being added up to about roughly an hour and maybe a half.

So no, E.C.W. does not need an extra hour. It just needs to stay focused on making you want to stay tuned in for the first full hour.

 

[Lee]

The problem is one hour isn't enough, two hours is too much. How about 90 mins?

At ninety minutes you get to fit int he roster, as well as room for expansion, and give us some story lines on ECW, something that as been severely lacking outside of the title picture since the New breed took on the Originals.

Ninety minutes you have the title picture, mid card story line (notice I didn't say midcard belt!) and you get to show case the talent initiative plus it's not too long.

 

[TheTruNoLimit]

Absolutely no need for ECW to go two hours. Aside from a few divas and Hornswoggle, ECW has all of 12 active wrestlers on the roster.

When your roster only has Christian, Swagger, Henry, Finlay, Miz, Morrison, Evan Bourne, Dreamer, Tyson Kidd, DJ Gabriel, Paul Birchill, and Ortiz, there is no need for anything more than an hour.

I am definitely in favor of adding more to the ECW roster. I wouldn't be opposed to WWE stretching that roster out from 12 in-ring competitors to about 20.

Sure, you might say having 20 superstars on a roster for a one hour program is a bit overkill, but I disagree. Not every superstar has to be on there every week if they're not part of a current angle. Plus, having more guys there gives you much better variety in terms of the potential feuds that can take place and if you have, for instance, a young guy like Tyson Kidd on there facing random opponents every week, it'd be refreshing to see him face actual WWE talent and go over instead of the local jobber talent.

The way it's set up right now, a new ECW superstar debuts, they beat a couple local jobbers, and if WWE likes them, they feud with Tommy Dreamer. Once they beat Dreamer a few times it's like they're automatically #1 contender because the roster is so paper thin on ECW that there's just not much to do. Stretching out the roster would be a GREAT idea, but going to 2 hours wouldn't.

 

[Spunky]

No to two hour's, They need to establist a midcard first, And it is coming along. Bringing up the youngster's is great way to fill the card, But they are nobodies, that we won't care about until they start fueding with each other, Getting us emotionally invested in them.

They do have a decent main event, But it could be wayyyyyyy better, In ECW they should have the title change hand's to different fued's, Building the show around fued's for a while, Instead of the title. That way you can have all seven, Or so main eventer's seem to have a chance at taking the title at any time.

 

[nthomas504]

I say yes to 2 hours, but they need to take that step slow. Get some more superstars, establish major feuds, and maybe they can add tha other hour. As to the getting a new title, not a good idea at this point in time. The ECW title is already the second worst title in tha WWE (first being US Title), if they got a midcard title, wat would it do. it would never be on Ppv, it would not be a great idea in my opinion.

 

[truk24]

ECW could very easily go 2 hours. Look at the talent the WWE has that really don't make main event talent on either of the other two shows. Stars like Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Kennedy, Kendrick, Helms, Jeff Hardy, Rey, Big Show, etc... Then there is room for the young guys to also establish themselves.

Two hours is definitely worth it for ECW. It all depends on who is down there. If you don't give them the right talent then two hours isn't worth it. The aboved named stars are easily legit main event talent for a show like ECW. Blend that with the younger talent, and it wouldn't look that bad.