The Piledriver Report 5.23.07: WWECW- A Success or Failure?

What is the most anticipated wrestling pay per view of the year? That’s a no-brainer, right? The obvious answer is WrestleMania, of course. However, after the Super Bowl of supercards is taken out of the equation, what would the answer be? Most would probably answer that it’s the Royal Rumble. A decade ago, some people may have even said the King of the Ring. Two years ago, it could be argued that the most anticipated pay per view, outside of WrestleMania, was ECW: One Night Stand.

At the end of 2004, World Wrestling Entertainment released a documentary DVD titled “The Rise and Fall of ECW.” To their surprise, the DVD became their second highest selling DVD, next to WrestleMania XX, in the history of the company. The success of the DVD prodded Rob Van Dam to convince Vince McMahon to hold an ECW reunion pay per view.

Wrestling fans were buzzing over the news. WOW! Extreme Championship Wrestling was coming back, albeit for one night only. While most fans felt that the reunion should have been held inside the old ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, the WWE decided to hold the show in ECW’s larger New York home base, the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The date of the event was June 12th, 2005.

The big question now was “Who would be appearing on the show?” While the WWE had Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Rhino, the injured Rob Van Dam, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr., Stevie Richards, Dawn Marie, Tommy Dreamer, Cactus Jack, the Dudleys, Tajiri, Tazz, Rhino, “Hollywood” Nova, Little Guido, Super Crazy, Psychosis, Spike Dudley, and Paul Heyman currently under contract, there were a lot more people involved in ECW that were the heart and soul of the company. Sandman, Sabu, the Eliminators, New Jack, Bam Bam Bigelow, Raven, Shane Douglas, Kid Kash, Jerry Lynn, Justin Credible, Balls Mahoney, Axl Rotten, Jason, Sinister Minister, Mikey Whipwreck, Bill Alfonso, J.T. Smith, Mike Awesome, Masato Tanaka, Blue Meanie, Francine, Beulah McGillicutty, Tony Mamaluke, Big Guido, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, Todd Gordon, Cyrus, Chris Chetti, Simon Diamond, C.W. Anderson, Tracey Smothers, Danny Doring, Roadkill, 911, Johnny Grunge, Pitbull #1 Gary Wolfe, 2 Cold Scorpio, Jazz, and Terry Funk were all performers in ECW that were not under a WWE contract. Some wrestlers, like Shane Douglas and Raven, two of the most popular wrestlers in ECW history, were currently under contract with TNA Wrestling. It was doubtful that they would be able to be a part of the show. The big question was whether Vince McMahon would get the former ECW wrestlers, that were “free agents” to work the show, or would One Night Stand be a pay per view that featured current WWE Superstar, who just happened to have once worked in ECW? Would One Night Stand be a true ECW reunion show, or just another WWE pay per view, just under a different name?

The answer would be a little bit of both. Most of the matches consisted of former ECW wrestlers, now WWE Superstars, or former ECW wrestlers, who recently signed WWE contracts, but haven’t made their WWE debut at the time. While demand for the event was great, extremely high ticket prices resulted in slow sales. However, the WWE believed that the lack of “WWE created Superstars” on the show was the cause for the slow ticket purchases. Therefore, the WWE decided to add some “WWE Superstars” as “invaders” on the show.

The “invasion” angle was initially looked at by many as a slap in the face to ECW fans. After all, this was an ECW reunion. What does Eric Bischoff know about ECW, aside from stealing their talent? The fans wanted a pure ECW reunion show with no gimmicks. That’s what Shane Douglas tried to give the fans with his “Hardcore Homecoming” Reunion Tour that kicked off that weekend. While the WWE couldn’t deliver TNA performers like Shane Douglas and Raven, “Hardcore Homecoming” did. As much as “Hardcore Homecoming” delivered the emotion of a family reunion that the fans were looking for, “One Night Stand” was also up to the task.

The WWE was able to mix former ECW talent, who the fans see every week since they were currently WWE contracted talent, with ECW performers who haven’t been seen for years on a national stage. The idea of having the “WWE Invasion” on the show helped build a different kind of emotion then “Hardcore Homecoming.” Where “Homecoming” allowed the fans to shed tears for the performers that they haven’t seen in years, “One Night Stand” gave the fans a chance to see ECW, the “little promotion that could” conquer the wrestling world in the end by beating down the evil heels of the WWE. While most fans were against the “invasion” angle, it proved to be a key point in making the show feel special.

Unfortunately, after an emotional weekend for followers of ECW, the WWE failed to follow up on the surprisingly successful pay per view. They didn’t even mention the card on RAW the next night. The WWE did schedule a second ECW: One Night Stand pay per view to take place on June 11th, 2006, also at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

This time, the WWE had something different in mind. This One Night Stand was not going to give the fans a final send off of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Instead, the 2006 version would signify a new beginning, a rebirth, if you will, of ECW. Vince McMahon decided to restart Extreme Championship Wrestling as a third brand in the World Wrestling Entertainment empire.

The fans went into the concept of a reborn ECW with guarded optimism. They were thirsty for ECW to be back on the airwaves. They wanted their rebellious extremists to rise once more, and take over the giants in the industry. However, it was the WWE bringing back ECW, so the fans knew it was only a matter of time before the McMahons screwed it up.

Leading up to One Night Stand, Paul Heyman, who was set to be the creative director behind the relaunch, promised a new ECW. He cautioned that you wouldn’t be seeing the “old” ECW. You would be getting the hottest young stars in the industry. Wrestlers from all over the globe would flock to ECW to ply their trade. While this ECW would have some of the old guard, it would be the young performers who would led the company to new heights.

The second One Night Stand pay per view featured mostly WWE Superstars vs. wrestlers that now flanked the ECW roster. Men like Sabu and the Sandman were signed up, while former ECW wrestlers like Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer were moved to the brand. Also moved to the ECW label were WWE stalwarts, like Kurt Angle and the Big Show.

One Night Stand 2006 featured one of the most passionate live crowds of the year. They exploded at the end of the evening following Rob Van Dam’s WWE World title victory of John Cena. Two nights later, the WWE presented the first episode of ECW on Sci-Fi. The fans greatest fears were immediately realized. The opening contest featured the Sandman, minus Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” theme song, against an eighties caricature called “The Zombie.” The match took only seventeen seconds before the Sandman took the fall. However, it took the audience a lot faster to realize that this wasn’t your older brother’s ECW. Along with the “cartoon” character, the new ECW that week featured John Cena and Edge- non-ECW performers! This trend would continue. Over the next several weeks, RAW and SmackDown! wrestlers would frequent ECW, as well strange characters such as Macho Libre.

On June 24th, the new ECW visited the home of the old ECW, the “ECW Arena” in South Philadelphia for a Saturday night house show. Fans who flocked to that arena ten years ago witnessed some of the best wrestling of the decade, not to mention shows that lasted in between 3-4 hours. On this night, the new ECW presented a card that was barely two hours long. The best part of the night was seeing CM Punk for the first time.

On July 2nd, the fate of ECW would change for the worse. After a house show in Huntington, WV, Rob Van Dam and Sabu were pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol for speeding. The police found various controlled substances, including marijuana and Vicodin, in their possession. As a result, WWE and ECW World Champion Rob Van Dam was suspended for 30 days beginning July 4 and Sabu was fined $1,000.00.

Rob Van Dam immediately dropped the WWE title to Edge, and then dropped the ECW World title to the Big Show. This was a huge blow for ECW. The brand was already fighting a losing battle with the “hardcore” ECW fans, because the new ECW wasn’t the old ECW. Now, they were forced to take the title off of the one wrestler that was considered both a WWE Superstar, but first and foremost an ECW Superstar. The one “WWE Superstar” on the ECW roster that the fans would have accepted as the ECW World Champion was Kurt Angle. Unfortunately, Angle was also suspended. His suspension was due to his failing the WWE Wellness Program, a.k.a. “drug test.” With nowhere else to turn, since they didn’t want to put the belt on one of the original members of ECW, the WWE put the belt on The Big Show. This was probably one of the biggest mistakes the WWE made with the new ECW.

The fans were completely turned off by this move. The new ECW felt a backlash from the “die-hard” ECW fans over the new ECW World Champion. Their hatred over the WWE’s decision for putting the belt on The Big Show caused the greatest moment in the history of the WWE’s version of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

The WWE held a television taping on August 1st at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The last two shows the WWE promoted in the building were cheered by the fans, who were thankfully for being able to see the favorite ECW stars of the past “one more time.” This time, however, was different. The fans were irate over the way the WWE had bastardized the name “Extreme Championship Wrestling.” In last then 2 months, the WWE had taken a “promotion” that the fans cherished in their memories, and killed any remnants of the federation they once knew. ECW was a rebellious organization. They competed against the “big two.” In this new version, they embraced the “Big One” by having WWE Superstars from RAW and SmackDown! frequently drop by their show. ECW featured hardcore matches where the rules were thrown out the window. Now, wrestlers were disqualified and counted out of the ring. The only time that mayhem was able to break loose was if the new ECW featured an “Extreme Rules” contest. Sure, the old ECW featured attractive women, but they wrestled and were part of the action. The new ECW gave the fans the “Extreme Expose,” “Extreme Strip Poker,” and “Extreme Bikini Contests!”

The August 1st television event gave the “real” ECW fans a chance to voice their opinions. And vent, they did. The fans were extremely vocal throughout the show. During the ECW main event featuring two WWE Superstars the Big Show and Batista, they chanted the following “You both suck,” “Change the channel,” and “Boring.” They got their point across to WWE management, and the WWE decided that instead of listening to the fans, they would just never hold another event in that building.

Despite the negative response from the crowd, the audience did give a positive reaction to a couple of wrestlers on the show. CM Punk made his TV debut, and Kurt Angle returned after his thirty-day absence. While the fans chanted “Welcome back” to Angle in his match that night, they shouldn’t have been so quick with the greeting. On August 25th, Kurt Angle was released due to “personal reasons,” which many people believed had to do with a pain killer addiction. Once again, the ECW brand was without one of its top stars.

ECW slowly chugged along with The Big Show as the ECW World Champion. As summer turned to autumn, and autumn was getting set to give way to winter, ECW had their first pay per view as an official brand to prepare for. “December 2 Dismember” was held on December 3rd in Augusta, GA. If you were to look back on the day when the concept of what was ECW died, you need not look any further then this day. The main event featured the WWE gimmick match, the “Elimination Chamber.” The Big Show defended the ECW World Championship against Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, Sabu, Bobby Lashley, and Test. Leading up to the pay per view, most fans expected Rob Van Dam’s “punishment” to end, and the pay per view would be RVD’s return to the throne on top of the ECW brand.

The pay per view started off on a high note. ECW presented something rarely seen on RAW or SmackDown!; a long tag team bout. Matt and Jeff Hardy teamed up to defeat MNM in an exciting match that reminded the fans what great tag team wrestling was all about. After that, the pay per view came crashing to a halt. The rest of the undercard was awful, and the main event left you scratching your head. First off, Sabu was “attacked” earlier in the show. Due to this attack, he was unable to compete in the Elimination Chamber. The crowd chanted “bullshit” at the announcement. To make matters worse, they replaced Sabu with Hardcore Holly. The most popular wrestlers in the Elimination Chamber were CM Punk and Rob Van Dam. Punk was eliminated from the match first, by Rob Van Dam. About two and a half minutes later, Rob Van Dam was eliminated by Test. The crowd was irate, and any excitement that was in the air became quickly deflated.

The following day was “Black Monday” for the history of ECW. Vince McMahon sent Paul Heyman, the man who created “Extreme Championship Wrestling,” home. Any little power that Paul Heyman had in the WWE’s version of ECW was now over. He hasn’t been back since.

In 2007, ECW continued to struggle as the WWE’s third brand. Bobby Lashley was the ECW World Champion, but the fans did not take to him in that role. Regardless of the fans’ opinion, the booking team continued to push Lashley as a dominant ECW World Champion.

WrestleMania 23 was held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. To take advantage of the 20th Anniversary of the Hogan vs. Andre match from WrestleMania III, the WWE wanted to book a Hogan vs. Big Show match with Donald Trump in Hogan’s corner and Vince McMahon in the Big Show’s. Unfortunately, the Big Show complained that his back was too far-gone, and Vince had a falling out with Hulk Hogan. Vince decided to use the opportunity to help create a new star. Vince gave Hogan’s spot to the ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley. Despite the media blitz that covered the match due to Trump, it rub did not help Lashley become a breakout performer.

Around this time, the booking committee created a storyline that finally provided clear “face” and “heels” for the ECW brand. The committee teamed RVD, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and the Sandman as the “ECW Originals” to battle Marcus Cor Von, Matt Stryker, Kevin Thorne, and Elijah Burke as the “New Breed.” This storyline lasted through WrestleMania and a short while past.

ECW has recently taken another step from removing itself from its “Extreme Championship Wrestling” roots. On May 16th, 2007, the WWE released Sabu from his contract. Within the next few weeks, it is believed that Rob Van Dam will be leaving the WWE family, and the ECW brand, once his contract expires early this summer.

After the first episode of “ECW on Sci-Fi,” many fans groaned at the product. However, those associated with the new brand asked the fans for their patience. In a few short weeks, it will be one year since ECW was reborn. A year is a long enough time to look back at ECW, and decide whether it has been a success or a failure.

The WWE’s version of ECW has been a failure for the most part. While something’s were not the WWE’s fault, such as Rob Van Dam and Sabu getting arrested for drug possession, Kurt Angle being suspended and then released due to his problems trying to pass the WWE’s “Wellness” Program, and the Big Show’s injuries getting the best of him.

What is the WWE’s fault was that they needed to take control of the brand. The original plan was to have Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman book the ECW brand. The Dreamer/Heyman team didn’t even last one week on TV. Vince and the WWE’s “creative” team wrote the first week’s episode. Heyman did get some power back before the second episode. However, Heyman never had the power he needed to get ECW going in the direction that his vision foresaw.

Another mistake was by having the Big Show capture the ECW title. The Big Show should have been used like 911 was back in the day. Look at Big Show’s appearance at the 2006 One Night Stand, he came in the ring, and destroyed everyone like 911 used to. The crowd was in awe. Once he won the title, he was viewed as a WWE Superstar, an outsider who wasn’t worthy of being in ECW. They should have given it to Sabu, as next to Rob Van Dam, he was the most over of the “originals.” In the beginning of the brand, they needed the “originals” to carry the brands, so the old fans would accept the new version of ECW. By having a WWE Superstar capture the ECW World title after only one month of ECW’s rebirth, you were spitting in the old ECW fans’ face.

The biggest mistake was the name of the band. By bringing back ECW as the third brand, the WWE was put in a tough spot. If the WWE started a third brand, and called it “Brand X,” the fans would have been more patient and more forgiven of its faults. However, the WWE put themselves behind the eight ball by naming the brand “ECW.” The letters E-C-W mean something to the fans. It was already an established brand. It’s one of the reasons why the WWE chose to call their new brand “ECW.” Unfortunately, the WWE did not realize that they had the reputation of “Extreme Championship Wrestling” to uphold. Vince figured that he could do whatever he wanted to do with the brand, and as long as the brand had those three letters in them, the fans would buy into it. The fans proved the WWE wrong. The WWE has only themselves to blame. Any fan with access to WWE 24/7 can witness the original ECW. Watching the Paul Heyman led ECW from 1996 and then viewing Vince McMahon’s WWECW version of today is like dating Eva Longoria, and then cheating on her with Roseanne Barr. You are already driving the Lamborgini. There’s no reason to purchase the Hyundai. That’s exactly what Vince asked the fans to do. We lived through the real “ECW.” Why would we ever want to spoil the love we have for those three letters by watching an something that we can never have the same relationship with, despite the initials appearing to be the same. ECW on the Sci-Fi network? Never. ECW in my memories and DVD collection? Always.