RVD speaks on ECW One Night Stand

[PureHatred]

In article posted this evening by The London Sun Rob Van Dam discusses a number of aspects of the build for the 6/12 ECW One Night Stand PPV. In regard to the show, Van Dam (who originally came up with the idea of the ECW reunion show) said that he believes the PPV will end up as one of the top three successful PPVs of the year, but he knows that there is a faction trying to undermine the PPV.

"It will always be a problem because there are certain voices higher-up that like to flatten out anything that could jeopardize their stronghold, rather than seeing the overall benefit to the industry of something like this. So, for sure, there is going to be some turbulence and some swimming up stream. But this show has a strong possibility of finishing as the third biggest PPV of the year. And if that happens there's one guy in the office who is really good at making decisions and has the best interests of this business in his heart."

Van Dam said that one person is Vince McMahon, who he'd like to speak to one on one, stating, "I want to talk to not all the minions around him, who have their own agendas for their own reasons."

Van Dam was also quick to speak out against the creative decision to include Raw and Smackdown performers who never worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling to the show, going as far as to state they don't deserve to be on the show.

"Those guys are definitely not going to be drawing the ratings for this PPV. They are definitely not selling any seats. Nobody's coming to see them and they have no business being there. The original plan was to have only ECW alumni on this show. There is no place for somebody pretending they're hardcore when they were never there, whether they've got a sledgehammer in their hand or not! The WWE writers are taking part in the show, but us true hardcore ECW guys will vote out anything ridiculous they try to add to it."

RVD IS RIGHT. The biggest disappointment to the build-up for this show has been how the WWE performers have been given all the attention. Maybe the WWE felt they needed Eric, Angle, JBL and company to sell the show to the non-ECW fans, but I think its just taking away from it. And I cringe at the the thought of an ECW reunion show where people like Maven and the Bashams are going to take away attention from the returning ECW performers.

[Marcyo]

Absolutely, this invasion storyline is ridiculous. If they don't show ECW stars on Raw for the next few weeks, they will undoubtfully lose ratings. The likes of Maven and Tomko beating ECW stars? That's treating the ECW like crap.

They can do better than this. The likes of Angle and JBL should feud the ECW, not some random Heat jobbers.

[Savio]

I'm guessing they wanted to promo it on the show some more and they didn't know another way.

[Marcyo]

I'm guessing they wanted to promo it on the show some more and they didn't know another way.
because they're dumbasses :(

[SuperSlim]

because they want to drive the stake into ECW personally

[DaBrasko]

I can see them keeping the WWE guys in the crowd along ringside during One Night Stand only to have them rush the ring in the last match, thus brining out sandman, sabu, and........TAZ (not Tazz) and fend them off but ultamately haveing a match with the WWE guys and beating them. It would seem that this would be a good idea



so that means there will be no chance in hell that it will happen :(

[Nark Order]

RVD has this right on. Hopefully the WWE can see the long term benefits of having a successful show like this instead of trying to make ECW look like it was always a second rate program.

[SuperSlim]

this is Vince McMahon we are talking about. HE is the guy that had the keys to the ultimate storyline of all time with the purchase of WCW. he had the keys in teh ignition. He could of ran and ran long and hard with it but instead he rushed it and screwed what could have been the best storyline/angle of all time past, present, and future. I mean not only did he have WCW but he also had ECW in his grasps. He didn't want his WWF creation to look weak to the others so he turned it into a typical McMahon family feud, and a way to do somethin with Austin in the end.

Basically Mcmahon probably doesn't want ECW to totally outshine his product.

[Nark Order]

I don't really get his point of view at all though. ECW IS his product now.

[Zen v.W.o.]

I think the wwe stars and stuff are only in this for one reason. Think about it..how many people actually followed ecw back when it was running? It was a cult fed. Was one of the supposed big three, but it really wasn't all that huge. These fans today chanting ecw are chanting for something they have no clue was around back when it was in business. They chant it cuz it's being asked for..they chant cuz they hear some hardcore fans chanting it, and go well hey, why not chant along.
How can an all ecw ppv sell well now, when it wasnt back then? They need wwe names in there also, cuz frankly, casual fans that never heard of Dreamer, sandman and others wont give a shit. Therefore without the names of Angle, Edge etc, they may get more buys. Otherwise this cannot enetertain the thought of being one of the 3 highest bought ppv's of the year.

[Loose Cannon]

I totally disagree with that. The ECW DVD is going to become the top selling DVD in Wrestling history. That was with almost zero promotion and marketing. I only started seeing commercials for the DVD when it started selling like hot cakes. There's no way you can tell me that the ECW PPV couldn't sell on it's own.

And when you got Smackdown and Raw PPV's doing shitty buys as is, there's no way you can say that an ECW PPV would do worse.

It's so dam ridiculous that they can't just leave the PPV alone without all this Invasion crap. I understand Vince wants to attach the WWE name to it, but he's dead wrong if he thinks they couldn't sell the PPV without getting Bischoff and company involved.

With the right marketing and promotion, you can sell anything. Funny how I'm seeing all these ECW videos now on Raw and Smackdown after this Invasion thing started happening. Before, I saw nothing.

[Zen v.W.o.]

I thought it got pretty decent promotion, at least up here. The wwe engine is obviously going to be better able to provide such a benefit for anything they want to sell.

The reason that ecw dvd sold well is probably due to the fact one of the more popular guys from that promotion, RVD , among others, are even more over now with the largest wrestling company going.
RVD got himself a larger fanbase, as has Tazz, as had anyone who is now working for the wwe, who once did for ecw. That causes their fans to want to check out the history of their fave wrestlers.

I'm serious..how many buys would an ecw ppv get you, if the card was only made up of guys like credible, Sandman, dreamer, sabu, whipwreck, new jack and everyone..it would get more then it used to obviously cuz now through the wwe it is more recognized. But I dont think this has to be a top 3 ppv in terms of buys to be a success. If it does better then what true ecw ppv's did back while it was still in business, then that is a success. How much of one, not sure.
Add wwe/ecw wrestlers like RVD, Tazz, Storm etc, you get more buys..my point is, there is always an underlying reason why ecw is a hotter commodity now then it ever has been before..due to the wwe.
Without that, why would ecw be more over now then it was a while ago?

I can assure you that ecw dvd as a whole did not become huge due to names like Dreamer and sandman alone. RVD, among others, as the wwe fans know them, got curious.
If none of those former ecw guys ever came to the wwe at all, this dvd does not sell all that well.

Anyways after all that rambling due to the fact I couldt collect my thoughts properly enough, my main point is the ecw brand sells well now, but you can credit any of that to the wwe, is a small way or a big way.

[Loose Cannon]

I'm not arguing that Sandman, Dreamer, Sabu etc.. could sell a show, cause they can't.

But you have all these other ECW guys (Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, Storm, Malenko) on the show and the WWE thinks it's neccessary to put WWE angles on it. That's where I call bullshit. You don't need that on there to sell a PPV with those great former ECW guys already on it.

Why put non-ECW guys on the show for? Makes no sense to me.

[Zen v.W.o.]

I'm not arguing that Sandman, Dreamer, Sabu etc.. could sell a show, cause they can't.

But you have all these other ECW guys (Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, Storm, Malenko) on the show and the WWE thinks it's neccessary to put WWE angles on it. That's where I call bullshit. You don't need that on there to sell a PPV with those great former ECW guys already on it.

Why put non-ECW guys on the show for? Makes no sense to me.

Good point. But again, no matter what, the ppv will sell due to some fringe ecw talent. Benoit, Guerrero, Jericho..I dont think of them as ecw, any more then I would Austin who was not around all that long.
Can you even call this an ecw ppv, and bash Vince for putting other wwe guys on it, while the fringe ecw talent are the guys who will be getting the most attention anyways, and getting you the ppv buys?
This isnt truly ECW, and you can never have that back, so why moan about it? Unless Vince truly cares for tradition and alumni, over busines..you'll never see that happen. I wouldnt mind seeing that happen, I'd like a true ecw ppv, but this is gonna be watered down anyways, so I dont get why anyone is pissing over it and about it.

[RP]

Its about time RVD starts flexing some muscle. He probably one of the more protected guys the WWE has. They wouldnt fire the guy cause they know he still has loads of talent( if they let him use it ) and TNA is on the verge of getting a major TV deal. If they fired RVD. He would go to TNA in 90 days. By then TNA would have a huge TV deal and there's your Monday night war. I'm happy RVD has realised this and let his voice be known on matters he is concerned about.

I know some people will say,"Well RVD has been injured and he is never pushed. He's expendable". He really isnt tho. They have trimmed his charachter down enormosly from back when he was in the ECW. Both in ring and out of the ring. Mostly in the ring though. McMahon knows that if he fires RVD and he ends up on TNA. TNA wont trim him or groom him down at all. They will take his charachter and run it to the top of the totem pole. With RVD's fan base. Thats not good for the WWE or Vince.

My point is this. Rvd has a voice as strong as any in the WWE. He needs to use it more often. So does Jericho.

P.S. I love the shot he takes a HHH .

"There is no place for somebody pretending they're hardcore when they were never there, whether they've got a sledgehammer in their hand or not! "

[Mr. JL]

I personally hate the idea of Bischoff, JBL and some jobbers heading into the ECW reunion PPV (I don't mind Kurt Angle being there because he actaully made a few appearences in ECW).

As much as I hate the WWE Invasion idea, I honestly believe it will come off pretty well. There is no way the WWE guys are going to run in and beat down the ECW guys ending the show with bloodied ECW guys laying around. The WWE guys are going to get their fucking asses kicked in ECW style. I don't think the WWE could fuck this up. It is not possible. The WWE guys run in and they crawl out bloodied, simple as that.

[Loose Cannon]

don't get your hopes up.

I'm just gonna laugh if Vince lays out Heyman to close the show.

[Pepsi Man]

Its about time RVD starts flexing some muscle. He probably one of the more protected guys the WWE has. They wouldnt fire the guy cause they know he still has loads of talent( if they let him use it ) and TNA is on the verge of getting a major TV deal. If they fired RVD. He would go to TNA in 90 days. By then TNA would have a huge TV deal and there's your Monday night war. I'm happy RVD has realised this and let his voice be known on matters he is concerned about.

I know some people will say,"Well RVD has been injured and he is never pushed. He's expendable". He really isnt tho. They have trimmed his charachter down enormosly from back when he was in the ECW. Both in ring and out of the ring. Mostly in the ring though. McMahon knows that if he fires RVD and he ends up on TNA. TNA wont trim him or groom him down at all. They will take his charachter and run it to the top of the totem pole. With RVD's fan base. Thats not good for the WWE or Vince.

My point is this. Rvd has a voice as strong as any in the WWE. He needs to use it more often. So does Jericho.

P.S. I love the shot he takes a HHH .

"There is no place for somebody pretending they're hardcore when they were never there, whether they've got a sledgehammer in their hand or not! "
RVD has already stated in interviews that he doesn't want to work for TNA. In these interviews, he wished TNA well, and even in THEM said there were things he was dissatisfied about in the WWE. Frankly, you're giving TNA too much credit.

As for the invasion, I'm thinking about it in a new light now. Once again, ECW has always tried to capitalize on "invasion" scenarios, and this one will include one Eric Bischoff, perhaps the number one heel in ECW's history, despite never having made an appearance for that promotion. Remember interview after interview after interview where an ECW star would bash Eric Bischoff? Remember how Mick Foley as Cactus Jack used the Bischoff name to draw heel heat by talking about how he was on his side? Imagine if they could've gotten Eric to appear for the promotion in 1995, 1996, or even 1997? Well finally, Eric Bischoff can appear at an ECW Pay-Per-View.

If these are true ECW fans, Bischoff should be as over a heel at this Pay-Per-View as Ric Flair was in old NWA times, or as Vince McMahon was in his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1998.

[Marcyo]

RVD has already stated in interviews that he doesn't want to work for TNA.

Is there any reason?

[Pepsi Man]

Is there any reason?
Probably money, but I think he mentioned something about how he really didn't feel like TNA was in WWE's league.

[#1-norm-fan]

Probably money, but I think he mentioned something about how he really didn't feel like TNA was in WWE's league.

These are the kind of great observations we get from RVD before he lights up.

[Corkscrewed]

There is no place for somebody pretending they're hardcore when they were never there, whether they've got a sledgehammer in their hand or not!
I thought that was pretty funny too.

HHH: When RVD comes back, job him to those new nameless divas on SmackDOWN! :mad:

Vince: Okay!



Anyway, I definitely agree about the lack of pure ECW hype (aside from the Heyman-narrated ads). They haven't talked about the card on TV at all from my knowledge. We just have internet news for that.

Next week, they better tell people who will be in the PPV and what matches are scheduled. In fact, really, next week ought to be two of the most surprising shows this year in terms of run-ins, because that would really help sell the product. Too bad the Draft will be competing against it, but the writers ought to be smart enough to incorporate that into the ECW promotion.

Ought to be... but they "ought to be" smart enough not to make Kurt Angle a pervert too... :-\

[Lamuella]

to be fair, I never thought I'd see the day when there were ads on Smackdown highlighting Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman.

[Gone Mad]

Yeah, I agree with RVD, but as said before, it's difficult to sell a PPV of a cult fed to casual fans so this must be done this way to have as much people buying the PPV, since the WWE are spending so much for this PPV anyways. Though... who wants to see Edge and Maven in a ECW PPV?!

I just know that this will be a good PPV, but it will not be a great, pure ECW PPV.

[Lamuella]

It's difficult to sell a PPV of a cult fed to casual fans.

not necessarily that difficult.

ECW is still enough of a name that it's cool to chant "EC DUB!"

Lots of people got into wrestling too late to see ECW, and now only know it as this mythical fed where RVD and Tazz and the Dudleys put each other through flaming tables. They know it was what hardcore fans rave about. They know it was what people chant about on TV and what Paul Heyman makes those brilliant speeches about.

it's got mystery, it's got intrigue, and this is their one chance of seeing an ECW event.

I'd say that lots of wrestling fans would be three quarters sold by this alone.

[John la Rock]

RVD RVD RVD RVD

[LK]

Its about time RVD starts flexing some muscle. He probably one of the more protected guys the WWE has. They wouldnt fire the guy cause they know he still has loads of talent( if they let him use it ) and TNA is on the verge of getting a major TV deal. If they fired RVD. He would go to TNA in 90 days. By then TNA would have a huge TV deal and there's your Monday night war. I'm happy RVD has realised this and let his voice be known on matters he is concerned about.

I know some people will say,"Well RVD has been injured and he is never pushed. He's expendable". He really isnt tho. They have trimmed his charachter down enormosly from back when he was in the ECW. Both in ring and out of the ring. Mostly in the ring though. McMahon knows that if he fires RVD and he ends up on TNA. TNA wont trim him or groom him down at all. They will take his charachter and run it to the top of the totem pole. With RVD's fan base. Thats not good for the WWE or Vince.
Can someone answer me this? Why would any WWE wrestler want to move from the WWE to TNA?

[6to1]

i like them building a heel stable to go against ecw, it is also a setup for ecw wrestlers raiding raw events. this weekend they played hogan ads i think the ecw ppv would be a good time for a hogan heel turn he angle and jbl make a new heel stable.

[mike627]

They may not relase RVD but, Im willing to bet after the hype for ECW dies down he will be punished for that jab at The Son-In-Law.

[RP]

I never said he wanted to move to TNA. What i'm saying is that WWE would not want him to go to TNA. He would be huge. Therefore RVD has alot of room to talk and speak his mind and not worry about his job status. Well employment status that is. He looks like he will always be a mid card jobber.

[ddpBANG]

Am I the only one that wishes Raven could be at this PPV?

[mike627]

No your not.