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I don't think the gloss and glamour hurts ECW at all. I think the fans hurt ECW. I don't think small arenas would help ECW, I think arenas full of ECW fans would. Can you imagine 20,000 people chanting "Randy Swallows"? That would be absolutely awesome.
They need to give Heyman the book, have ECW start earlier, as to give fans a chance to move in and out. Have them pay seperately for ECW. If it doesn't work, and you only have a few fans in, it works to the cult atmosphere of ECW.
I personally think the SmackDown! set needs a change anyway, so why not have a set which can be easily swapped for ECW and SmackDown!? Have one screen in the background (not that shitty projection looking one they have on SmackDown!, some HD flat-screen shit, in case it isn't obvious, I have no clue what I'm talking about) which basically is changed for ECW and SmackDown!, giving the shows seperate feels.
ECW could really take off as a WWE brand if they inject energy into their shows. Turn up the sound, go crazy with the lights. Even the little kiddies will get caught up in it. If it has the glitz and glamour there and doesn't want to use it, that is when it will look third rate.
So my suggestions for making ECW work (atmosphere-wise):
-Let Paul Heyman write the shows.
-Make the show more Little Guido/Super Crazy type stuff, at least to start out. It's very SmackDown!-esque, won't offend anybody, plus it's solid TV.
-Use ECW.com. Most ECW fans are more than aware of the internet, thus having recording promos, web-shows and even matches airing online will really help ECW re-establish it's cult following.
-Much like SmackDown! has the blue light over the crowd, give ECW a red light over the crowd. Adds intensity.
-Get some bands to record theme songs for guys like The Sandman. He really isn't working at the moment.
-Turn up the sound, use technology to really boost this thing and make it not look like Velocity.
-Get a new set for SmackDown! and make it interchangeable with ECW.
-Tape ECW earlier than SmackDown!. Have ECW finish taping like an hour before the SmackDown! taping starts. That way people who don't want to see ECW won't see ECW.
-Charge for ECW as well as SmackDown!, so people who don't want to see it won't just be like "Ah, what the Hell, I'll check it out". To my understanding, ECW has just replaced Velocity. Not good, not good at all. Especially if Vince wants to make money from this thing.
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