Remember When (Vol. 2)
I had quite a bit of fun writing the first edition of "Remember When" so much that heck, I'm gonna do it again! This time around, I'm going to cover and give my overall opinion on the revamped ECW from 2006! Was it good? Was it bad? Or, am I indifferent? Well, let's put on our Extreme Writing Caps and get to work!
The year is 2005. ECW has been dead for four years. In that time, Vince McMahon not only bought the product, but was convinced by Shane McMahon and Rob Van Dam to do a one-off show to tribute those who sacrificed their bodies. With already contracted talent such as Chris Jericho, RVD, Rhyno and the Dudleyz (Although they were reportedly on their way out at the time), and talent such as Sabu, Mike Awesome and more, the show was looking to be a huge hit.
Then it was set.
June 12th 2005. We were promised something different. Something that had piqued our interest beyond our wildest imagination. A reunion for Extreme Championship Wrestling. It featured the likes of Chris Jericho, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman and many others who shaped the business today. Some would even argue that it was ECW's best Pay-Per-View, right next to Barely Legal. It featured Joey Styles on commentary alongside Mick Foley. The event brought tears to just about everybody's eyes (Mine included).
The highlight of the night had to have been when Paul Heyman decided to go full shoot on the invading WWE Superstars, who bought tickets to the event. After shooting down Edge and Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman would tell everyone how appreciative he was to book for them each and every night. But, the main event of The Dudley Boyz (Who were demoted to OVW at this point) versus Sandman and Tommy Dreamer was arguably the best match of the night. The four practically used everything imaginable. However, the match was delayed due to interference from the likes of the bWo, Kid Kash and more.
Following the success of ECW One Night Stand in 2005, WWE decided to go ahead with a second One Night Stand PPV. This event was more of a "WWE vs ECW" type show, where the WWE Championship, alongside the World Heavyweight Championship were being defended in the Hammerstein Ballroom. We saw an epic bout between RVD and John Cena, ending with a Spear through a table by Edge. We also saw a World Heavyweight Championship bout between Rey Mysterio and Sabu end far too early due to an "Injury" caused by Sabu by putting Rey through a table.
After this decent event, WWE began sending out feelers to networks. Sci-Fi was suddenly the new home for ECW, under the WWE umbrella. It was a moment that in retrospect, a lot of the Originals didn't like. Paul Heyman was one of the first detractors of the brand, citing the complications with Vince, as well as the network they were on...Man, what is it about Paul Heyman and Networks not getting along? Anyway, Tommy Dreamer was another one. Dreamer believed that the new ECW could only succeed if it stuck with the core values that the original ECW had.
Although ratings began to dip fairly soon after the brand had launched, that didn't stop WWE from gathering a roster with names such as Kurt Angle, The Big Show, CM Punk and more. Before we knew it, we had ECW's first PPV since returning to TV; ECW December to Dismember 2006.
The build was rather unique, as there were only 2 matches announced beforehand: An "Extreme" Elmination Chamber for the ECW Championship, and a Tag Team Match featuring The Hardyz and MNM, with neither team being on the ECW Roster.
The event was so bad, Paul Heyman was fired before the plane landed.
Chapter 1: It's Not Completely Dead
The year is 2005. ECW has been dead for four years. In that time, Vince McMahon not only bought the product, but was convinced by Shane McMahon and Rob Van Dam to do a one-off show to tribute those who sacrificed their bodies. With already contracted talent such as Chris Jericho, RVD, Rhyno and the Dudleyz (Although they were reportedly on their way out at the time), and talent such as Sabu, Mike Awesome and more, the show was looking to be a huge hit.
Then it was set.
June 12th 2005. We were promised something different. Something that had piqued our interest beyond our wildest imagination. A reunion for Extreme Championship Wrestling. It featured the likes of Chris Jericho, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman and many others who shaped the business today. Some would even argue that it was ECW's best Pay-Per-View, right next to Barely Legal. It featured Joey Styles on commentary alongside Mick Foley. The event brought tears to just about everybody's eyes (Mine included).
The highlight of the night had to have been when Paul Heyman decided to go full shoot on the invading WWE Superstars, who bought tickets to the event. After shooting down Edge and Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman would tell everyone how appreciative he was to book for them each and every night. But, the main event of The Dudley Boyz (Who were demoted to OVW at this point) versus Sandman and Tommy Dreamer was arguably the best match of the night. The four practically used everything imaginable. However, the match was delayed due to interference from the likes of the bWo, Kid Kash and more.
Chapter 2: You Can't Kill Us
Following the success of ECW One Night Stand in 2005, WWE decided to go ahead with a second One Night Stand PPV. This event was more of a "WWE vs ECW" type show, where the WWE Championship, alongside the World Heavyweight Championship were being defended in the Hammerstein Ballroom. We saw an epic bout between RVD and John Cena, ending with a Spear through a table by Edge. We also saw a World Heavyweight Championship bout between Rey Mysterio and Sabu end far too early due to an "Injury" caused by Sabu by putting Rey through a table.
After this decent event, WWE began sending out feelers to networks. Sci-Fi was suddenly the new home for ECW, under the WWE umbrella. It was a moment that in retrospect, a lot of the Originals didn't like. Paul Heyman was one of the first detractors of the brand, citing the complications with Vince, as well as the network they were on...Man, what is it about Paul Heyman and Networks not getting along? Anyway, Tommy Dreamer was another one. Dreamer believed that the new ECW could only succeed if it stuck with the core values that the original ECW had.
Although ratings began to dip fairly soon after the brand had launched, that didn't stop WWE from gathering a roster with names such as Kurt Angle, The Big Show, CM Punk and more. Before we knew it, we had ECW's first PPV since returning to TV; ECW December to Dismember 2006.
The build was rather unique, as there were only 2 matches announced beforehand: An "Extreme" Elmination Chamber for the ECW Championship, and a Tag Team Match featuring The Hardyz and MNM, with neither team being on the ECW Roster.
The event was so bad, Paul Heyman was fired before the plane landed.
Chapter 3: A New Direction
WWE had decided by around 2008 that the company couldn't be as edgy as the were in the Attitude Era. Because of that, ECW took an even more tame approach on Tuesday nights. Now, ECW was seen more or less as a developmental program of sorts. We had names like Kofi Kingston, Sheamus and The Miz get their first break on TV. We saw great matches with Zack Ryder and Tommy Dreamer, leaving to his retirement in 2010. Despite it not being "Hardcore" anymore, the talent was rather impressive at the time.
Clearly, this was WWE's new way of handling the brand. Simply be a developmental show where talent can get their feet wet. Also, any talent that were struggling to get over, move them to ECW and let the flourish. Names like William Regal, Matt Hardy, Kane, Mark Henry and more all got a second wind with the brand. It promoted fresh faces and exposed them to a national audience, making them ready for a RAW or Smackdown debut.
Conclusion
Was WWE's ECW bad? Well, that depends on how you look at it.
If you are a die-hard fan, your fist thought is yes. You think it's a failure due to the lack of edginess, and hardcore style. You feel that Vince had too much control, and Paul didn't have enough. It was too "Corporate" of a brand to really have any fun. Therefore, the New ECW was not only a flop to you, but it never should have happened in the first place. One Night Stand 2005 should have been the companies final show.
Or, you're like me. You appreciate the contributions that the original ECW had in the business. You wouldn't change them for the world, however understand that it couldn't be like the original. You understand, and were okay with the fact that we had fresh faces, and a show that felt like it was it's own island compared to RAW and Smackdown. You were fine watching every week because you enjoyed watching Morrison and Punk, or Christian and Swagger.
There's two ways of looking at it. And from my point of view? It wasn't bad at all. In fact, I'd say that it was actually a very decent wrestling show. Sure, it wasn't no RAW or Smackdown. But that's okay. I want a small show, with good wrestling, rather than complicated story-telling, or wrestlers that are too over going against fresh faces. There was something about WWE's ECW that I always will gravitate toward. Regardless if it was 06-08, where the company was trying to be a "Watered Down" ECW, or 09-10, where the brand was just...Itself.
I encourage all of you to rewatch a few episodes towards the end. It wasn't as bad as you may recall. Just enjoy the show, because at the end of the day, isn't that what we tune in for? To be entertained?
Well, that will do it for this edition of "Remember When?" Do you agree with the thought? Write us below, or hit up our Social Media to contact us!
-Nick
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