Y'know... I really don't want to watch RAW

[Fox]

After seeing what ECW and Paul Heyman are capable of last night, I'm really not in the mood to watch RAW, despite the fact that there will be a second draft pick and the return of Stone Cold.

Honestly, I'd rather spend those two hours watching ECW One Night Stand again, or even popping in one of my old ECW PPVs. It really is embarassing when a "bingo hall, second rate promotion" can do better than the #1 wrestling company in the world.

It's like getting a zit on your cheek and people telling you that the zit is cuter than your actual face.

[Nark Order]

Then don't watch it. Stop making crappy threads, asswipe.

[Zen v.W.o.]

To me what you saw last night from ONS just shows you the potential ability of the wwe. It was their show still, not Heymans. Sure he had some say and all, but that was still a wwe based production, so with effort, the wwe could be just as entertaining. They just need to weed out what holds things down.

[Nark Order]

Exactly. WWE put on the show last night. ECW does ot exist.

[The CyNick]

The show kinda reminded me why guys used to get injured every other week.

Its funny all this buzz about ECW, but its kinda like drilling for oil in Alaska, yeah it might be a short term solution, but its not sustainable.

People will not support a promotion led by Sandman and Sabu, because they tried that 5 years ago, when they were 5 years younger, and it ultimately failed.

Dont get me wrong ECW ONS was an awesome show, and great nostalgia, but all this talk gets me scared because I think the WWE will have no choice but to make a decision that they will greatly regret in 6 months.

[Kane Knight]

People will not support a promotion led by Sandman and Sabu, because they tried that 5 years ago, when they were 5 years younger, and it ultimately failed.
Hmmm...Are you concluding that it was in fact their fault that they tanked?

[Corkscrewed]

We don't necessarily need a spotfest, but you can definitely generate the same excitement, out-of-nowhere apprearances, exciting wrestling matches, and emotional output into the product rather than give viewers something that feels devoid of any effort.

[Shadow]

We don't necessarily need a spotfest, but you can definitely generate the same excitement, out-of-nowhere apprearances, exciting wrestling matches, and emotional output into the product rather than give viewers something that feels devoid of any effort.

Thus why TNA needs a friggin TV deal.

[M. Banana]

:y:

[Mr. JL]

Yeah, as much as I enjoyed the ECW One Night Stand...there is no way ECW should be brought back on a full time basis. I wouldn't mind having an annual ECW reunion show each year to pay tribute to how revolutionary the ECW promotion really was but the wrestling business really needs to look forward.

[Mr. Nerfect]

In my books, a good PPV should be able to put a close on the business for good. When Vengeance goes off the air in a few weeks time, we should be able to finall rest knowing that Batista's enemy has been vanquished, but we'll still tune in to see where his journeys take him next.

At The Great American Bash, I hope we see something like Benoit holding up a brand new World Title, celebrating as if nothing else matters.

One Night Stand was a success for me, because it erased my memory of RAW. It erased my memory of Triple H. The entire night, even when Heyman mentioned him, the image of Triple H with the World Heavyweight Championship didn't come to mind. I was instead focused on the event put before us. Nothing else mattered. It didn't bother me that Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome may never appear on my TV again. I didn't care Rhyno lost his job. ONS was an escape, not from wrestling, but into it. Deeper than anything the WWE has done for a long time.

After the Hell in a Cell Match at Vengeance, I hope I can honestly say that TNA wasn't on my mind when all is said and done. I want to escape into the moment and see Batista defeat Triple H, once and for all. Hell, even have Batista then defeat Edge straight after Triple H, when Edge decides to cash in his Money in the Bank Title Shot.

I want to completely escape into wrestling when I order a PPV, and I want to be lost in it. ONS did that, and I am extremely appreciative for that. Here's hopnig this is a trend for many PPVs, and that the WWE puts just as much effort into making each event epic, and making each a WrestleMania, not a New Year's Revolution.

[Crimson]

Well so far tonite's RAW is BORING. But I guess i have no choice now do i?!

Well yes i do *pops in ONS tape into VCR* :)

[PureHatred]

ONS showed that the best thing any company can do is to let their display their talents to the best of their abilities. Stop having the writers stifle the promos. Stop producing these generic cookie cuttercharacters. Stop having the bookers ground the cruisers. Stop forcing the technicians wrestler in 3 minute squashes. And stop booking shows based on who's been in the company the longest and the WWE has all the talent in the world to put on edge of your seat TV every single week.

The ECW never held anything back with their promos and matches. They honored their audience with their passion. If the WWE delivered the same intensity we'd all be blown away.

[Marcyo]

Well so far tonite's RAW is BORING. But I guess i have no choice now do i?!

Well yes i do *pops in ONS tape into VCR* :)

I didn't find it boring so far.

[The CyNick]

Hmmm...Are you concluding that it was in fact their fault that they tanked?

Poeple like to overplay ECW's success.

They were huge in the sense that Heyman was a booker who changed the business, but ECW died on its own merits.

The fact is they had a TV deal, not the greatest deal, but a deal nonetheless, and the bottom line is that they couldn't grow their audience. Now, there were other factors that made it harder for them, but if people really wanted to watch ECW they would have.

The fact of the matter is ECW is a niche market, and it just wasn't big enough to compete on the level of the WWE.

I just think if the WWE goes all the way with an ECW product, people will see it, and then get tired of it, and it will become clear why ECW failed in the first place.

[Londoner]

People wont get tired of it anymore than they're of the WWE, any sort of alternative is needed.

[SammyG]

raw was gold tonight

[Kane Knight]

Poeple like to overplay ECW's success.

They were huge in the sense that Heyman was a booker who changed the business, but ECW died on its own merits.

The fact is they had a TV deal, not the greatest deal, but a deal nonetheless, and the bottom line is that they couldn't grow their audience. Now, there were other factors that made it harder for them, but if people really wanted to watch ECW they would have.

The fact of the matter is ECW is a niche market, and it just wasn't big enough to compete on the level of the WWE.

I just think if the WWE goes all the way with an ECW product, people will see it, and then get tired of it, and it will become clear why ECW failed in the first place.
Woah. You mean a "Bingo Hall" business couldn't compete with a multi-million dollar company which had a GOLDEN primetime slot?

I wouldn't say they failed on their own merits, but on their flaws. TNN wasn't always as big a station as it is now. Lots of people didn't even have it when RTaw came on, a lot less before that.

ECW had a lot stacked against them, and they tanked. To say that, as an extension of the WWE, they couldn't succeed is myopic at best.

[Kane Knight]

People wont get tired of it anymore than they're of the WWE, any sort of alternative is needed.
The question is whether or not ENOUGH people won't get tired of it. The XFL has proved that Vince is willing to make bad business decisions, but they also eventually decide not to throw bad money after good (Unless it involved a son-in law). While they were able to pull off one good PPV, that does not guarantee long-term quality, a TV show, or ratings. ECW would need a separate TV deal, solid booking, and good support from the WWE, those are things hard to guarantee

[Deceit]

In my books, a good PPV should be able to put a close on the business for good. When Vengeance goes off the air in a few weeks time, we should be able to finall rest knowing that Batista's enemy has been vanquished, but we'll still tune in to see where his journeys take him next.


I couldn't agree more. :y:

[The CyNick]

Woah. You mean a "Bingo Hall" business couldn't compete with a multi-million dollar company which had a GOLDEN primetime slot?

I wouldn't say they failed on their own merits, but on their flaws. TNN wasn't always as big a station as it is now. Lots of people didn't even have it when RTaw came on, a lot less before that.

ECW had a lot stacked against them, and they tanked. To say that, as an extension of the WWE, they couldn't succeed is myopic at best.

WWE didn't always have the best TV deals, or the most money, but they ultimately succeeded.

I'm not trying to take away from ECW did, it waqs great, and they deserve a lot of credit. But all those things you mentioned are a bunch of excuses. There's no reason to think ECW in 2005 would do any better than ECW did in 2000. If people wanted to watch it, they would have seeked it out.

If ECW was so great why didn't they ever increase their audience? If memory serves me, they peaked at about a 1.1 rating, but by the end they were around .7 or .8. So did TNN send goons to force those people to stop watching? Or was it the product that turned people away?

[blake639raw]

ECW could have done a better business if they didn't have so much stacked against them. I mean, a deal on the Nashville Network didn't help a whole lot. "If people wanted to watch, they would seek it out." That's a stupid statement, considering that everybody knew about ECW, when obviously they didn't. They got little to no promotion, a crap timeslot on Friday nights, and their tv show was censored worse than WWE's. Their was definately a market for the ECW brand though. For instance, I had a few friends who hated wrestling, and thought it was corny. I showed them a few ECW tapes, and they loved the renegade style, with the rock music and hardcore layout. When Vince was coming up, he didn't have to compete with a huge corporate comglomerate (sp?). Comparing the two cases (Vince/Heyman) is stupid.