10 Years Later: ECW

[Xero]

Was reading ECW's Wiki and it dawned on me that today, January 7th, is the 10 year anniversary of ECW's last televised show, Guilty as Charged. There were two more house shows on the 12th and 13th, technically, but I think GaS can be seen as ECW's last show.

Discuss the original ECW's legacy in here. Do you think it has been handled well with its reunion shows (ONS, Hard Justice, Homecoming)? What have been the lasting effects on the industry caused directly or indirectly by ECW?

Basically, this is a thread discussing, and celebrating, ECW.

[dronepool]

ECW was awesome.

[Seth82]

ECW was great

but I've noticed alot of the matches don't hold up so great

-watching some of them nowadays they just aren't as good and exciting

I suppose because at the time it was cutting edge

[The One]

ECW was great for what it was. In some weird way, WWE has managed to make it seem more important that in actually was. It was the RoH of it's time - an over glorified indie with a small niche market that struck and strong and powerful cord with it's audience, but ultimately was doomed because you can't build a company on a small demographic, no matter how rabid they are.

For what it's worth, in 96 & 97 I could barely stomach WCW (no, I was not a fan of the nWo...) , I watched WWF solely for Shawn Michaels, but I was hooked on every last second of ECW I could get my hands on. There is a large part of me that genuinely misses the product. I'm sad it's not around today, I would have liked to see where it could have made it to. Having said that, I don't believe it was the holy land where there could be no wrong doing (they made a LOT of mistakes themselves) nor do think it would have reached the level of a true global promotion. I think a lot of the hype and mystic surrounding the company is based largely on the fact that so few people were actually fans when it was around, and now it's like a legend passed down from the warriors who lived it and accentuated with the rose tint of nostalgic review.

TOVO Fact: Tovo buys a new toothbrush at least 3 times a year.

[Rammsteinmad]

STOP LIVING IN THE PAST!!!

[Rammsteinmad]

But seriously, ECW was awesome back in the day. However, due to all the reunion shows we get now, and how ECW stars are still advertised at indy shows as big names, it leaves a horrible taste in my mouth because most of them now are scar-riddled drunks who are way beyond past their primes.

Although, some of the smaller, low key guys can still go, in particular people like Tony Mamaluke and Nunzio (the last time I saw them anyway).

Here's two things I was wondering though:

1. It would be interesting if ECW was around today to see the contrast in styles between WWE's PG product and ECW's 18 product (or whatever it is in American, Rated R?).

2. I often wonder why companies like CZW are so terrible, but yet we all loved ECW. Granted, I hate all that garbage 'king of the death match' crap they put out, but it's not really about comparing ECW to CZW, more about why no other hardcore federation has gotten over like ECW did.

[Razzamajazz]

i still have guilty as charged on vhs when i taped it from the live broadcast foe the sole purpose of showing to other people without ecw's consent. it was pretty disappointing when the "Big announcement that would change the face of ECW forever" was just RVD's return.

[Jeritron]

ECW was great and what happened in WWE doesn't hurt it's legacy at all. If anything, it helps it's legacy live on in the tape library and through promotion.

The WWE produced version of ECW was clearly it's own thing, and anyone who can't seperate those is being foolish. It's only "ruined" for people who want it to be that way.
It was also pretty good stuff, for those who can get past the name hangup.
But either way, the original ECW is intact as a great story and legacy as a promotion.

The One Night Stand shows were fantastic. Again, they were also their own thing, but they were appropriate celebrations.
The TNA reunion was too little too late. But that all belongs to the alumni, I guess.

[Tazz Dan]

Do you have GaS Xero, or did you mean GaC?

[MoFo]

Guilty As Charged was fantastic, but ECW as a whole was pretty shitty. If Russo had of done half the things Heyman did, he would of been lynched, yet Heyman is lauded as some IWC demi-god.

[ooTin]

Do you have GaS Xero, or did you mean GaC?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I miss Gas :(

<img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:QV7x7q6wkIaPhM:http://www.retrojunk.com/img/art-images/nick_gas_logo_01.jpg&amp;t=1" id="il_fi" height="116" width="160" style="padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; ">

[tjmidnight420]

If ECW only ever did one thing to be remembered for it was the catalyst that caused the attitude era. Then again, any real fan will tell you they did alot more worth remembering.

[whiteyford]

ECW was great, introduced alot of different styles and workers to western audiences, and was a true alternative. But it was still a very niche product, dunno if it would ever have gotten past that.

[Volare]

STOP LIVING IN THE EXTREME PAST!!!

[dhellova guy]

I think ECW's biggest legacy to pro wrestling is the performers who they helped make big. I'm not talking about their stable of loyal employees who are still living off what they did there, like Tommy Dreamer, the Sandman and to an extent Shane Douglas (for examples), but the Rey Mysterios, Dean Malenkos, Chris Jerichos and Rob Van Dams. ECW really started using the smaller guys who could work long before WCW or WWE, and now those guys are some of the biggest stars in the industry.

Obviously, ECW is best remembered for the violence and crazy shit that went down, a style which has gone by the wayside. But they also reintroduced a more technical side that was more previlent in the NWA era that was started to disappear. That should be there legacy.

[The Mackem]

Must be about ten years since Sid broke his leg.

[Xero]

Must be about ten years since Sid broke his leg.

14th.

Honestly, I'm planning a bunch of these ____ years later threads for this year. Should be fun, and they all spark good conversation.

[RiX1024]

I was new to ECW in mid-2000 and enjoyed their product, was gutted when they closed down. I enjoyed both Hardcore Homecoming and the first One Night Stand....and they of kept it like that, no more reunions and that. WWE fcked up ECW's legacy by making it a 3rd brand and burying their original talent.

[Xero]

2. I often wonder why companies like CZW are so terrible, but yet we all loved ECW. Granted, I hate all that garbage 'king of the death match' crap they put out, but it's not really about comparing ECW to CZW, more about why no other hardcore federation has gotten over like ECW did.

It wasn't so much that ECW was Hardcore (that was a part of it), but it was about its originality and writing. It felt special (not that I can really say first-hand, though I did watch some ECW when it was around). Say what you will about Heyman, but I look at old ECW promos, for example, and they absolutely standout among typical promos. Yes, A LOT of it is romanticized, but the big angles were great, and they had A LOT of GREAT talent.

That's another thing. I'm not trying to take away from today's talent, because there are a bunch of Indy guys who are great, but you had absolute legends like Benoit, Jericho, Eddie, The Dudleyz and Mysterio along with amazing, original talents like Sabu, RVD, The Eliminators and New Jack who made it feel special. There was just so much coming together into one promotion that made it that much more special.

[Graveler]

It wasn't so much that ECW was Hardcore (that was a part of it), but it was about its originality and writing. It felt special (not that I can really say first-hand, though I did watch some ECW when it was around). Say what you will about Heyman, but I look at old ECW promos, for example, and they absolutely standout among typical promos. Yes, A LOT of it is romanticized, but the big angles were great, and they had A LOT of GREAT talent.



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[BigDaddyCool]

It is better off dead.

[SaskatchewanChamp]

ECW was junk. [/thread]

[Anybody Thrilla]

Why was the ring so fucking loud?

[Nightwing]

ECW One Night Stand, the original, was great. I also got the opportunity to catch one of the Hardcore Homecoming shows in Cleveland when it came around. That was entertaining as hell. Getting to see guys like Raven, Rhino, Dudleys, Meanie, Sandman, Douglas, Sabu, Justin Credible, and Jerry Lynn wrestle outside the WWE box and in that ECW environment was something special. Also, I handed Raven a chair and he used it on Rhino so that was pritty cool.

I enjoyed ECW for what I caught of it when I was younger, and consider myself lucky that I got to experience it in some form live.