What if?

[GhettoV1]

What if JCP took steps to stop the money losses and sold 50% of the NWA to TBS therefore keeping it afloat.

The AWA/WCCW/CWA alliance succeeded with a better booked Super clash 3 (to me it looked like a TNA PPV with a mostly darkened arena)

ECW signed a exclusive deal with TNN for five years blocking Viacom(blocking them from even thinking about getting the TV rights to the WWF) from cancelling them and giving the company money to produce ECW on TNN.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

It's fun to speculate, but these types of questions could be raised about almost anything in wrestling.

The only one that I would be very intrigued by is your ECW scenario, only from the standpoint that had ECW hung in there just a bit longer, WCW would've collapsed and by default made them the #2 promotion. With significant financial backing and a national TV deal, while the invasion angle was getting botched over in WWE, ECW might've been able to finally gain a little foothold in the market, because it always felt like they were on the verge of either bankruptcy or huge national attention.

 

[dsotm5150]

Its an intriguing thought, and it certainly would have probably slowed down WWE's rise to dominance, but I'm sure the ending would be the same.

Fact of the matter the concept of the NWA was obsolete by the time Crockett sold out to Turner. The territory idea was dead because nobody was upholding the agreement to stay out of anyone elses area and anybody who was anybody had pretty much been poached.

Not to mention the fact nobody at Turner wanted wrestling, they couldn't understand anything about it or why Ted wanted anything to do with it, besides the fact that it was cheap to produce and did great numbers compared to anything else on WTBS back in the day. Even when it was making money the executives at Turner wanted it gone, even during the height of the Monday night Wars when WCW was winning Turner execs wanted it gone. So as far as NWA/WCW goes....that outcome is the same.


ECW on the other hand....intrigues me, I always felt they were the guys who never got a real shot to run the ball. With some dedication from a network and some investors I think ECW could have thrived a bit more, unfortunately they were so specialized that it was doomed to fail. Nobody was going to give that product prime time, and they werent going to tone it down to do so, because then youve lost what made ECW well ECW.

I think it's a crying shame both WCW and ECW went the way of the dinosaurs. There was no better time to be a wrestling fan than the late '80s up to the new millennium, and man if I could go back and change the outcomes of their fates I would.