Extreme Championship Wrestling (Discuss all things ECW)

[gravymaster]

http://www.wwf4ever.de/ligen/ecwlogo.jpg
And so it begins...

[Voodoo Monkey]

They need to hire Simon Diamond. And get a Canadian TV deal. Then I'd watch.

...so where do we talk TNA?

[rickey]

it's EXtreme.


TO THE MAXXXX!!!!!!!

[gravymaster]

...so where do we talk TNA?
In a few months there won't be a TNA ;)

I didn't really see the need for a TNA thread since we don't have one now and we do perfectly fine.

[boogie down mikel]

*falls through flaming barbed wire board and lands on explosive*

thanks for dropping by ecw

[Matt B.]

Anyone think Cena will fight RVD for ECW championship?

[boogie down mikel]

can we say triple threat?

[gravymaster]

can we say triple threat?
If it is tonight, that would just be grand.

[smyce]

Bring back Sign Guy, Hat Guy and Faith No More Guy!!

ECW! ECW! ECW!

[gravymaster]

Faith No More Guy rules. He works at a grocery store in Queens. Haha.

Hat Guy actually worked for ECW. He used to work the doors with Mikey Whipwreck ;)

[Nebuchanezzar]

Speaking of sign guy, did anyone notice the "Cane Dewey" sign at RAW last week?

[gravymaster]

It will be a lot better once they start taping from the smaller arenas without all the Smackdown marks there :angry:

New ECW belt is awesome.

[Voodoo Monkey]

Apparently Heyman is using the "pull names out of a hat" approach to booking.

And a fucking zombie?

[gravymaster]

And a fucking zombie?
Apparently you don't get what they are trying to do. They have The Sandman just coming into the ring and SMASHING these stupid gimmicked wrestlers, showing how dumb that shit is, and giving him a chance to wreak havoc with a cane and drink beer.

I would like to see him renew the one rivialry he had with Justin Credible, though. Would give a nice push to both of them.

[gravymaster]

Meh. I'm waiting for the smaller venues and shit. Pales in comparison to old ECW, but I'm not thick enough to think that will continue or that it would be full force on the first show in front of a smackdown crowd. I'm just glad its back.

[boogie down mikel]

i think once they get the wwe title monkey off their back, it will be better.....

[smyce]

I have not watched wrestling since I was a freshman in college, but if ECW is back in full force I GUARANTEE I will be back on board.

The days of ECW were some of the most entertaining in the history of wrestling.

[Matt B.]

ECW's first show got a 2.7 cable rating and a 4 share and 2.357 million households

ECW Ratings (http://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=18582&p=1)

[Nebuchanezzar]

That's a freaking awesome rating for it to get. Even if the ONS buy rate is less then expected, if they can hold this up they're a shoe-in for a permanent spot on sci-fi.

[Matt B.]

What were the buyrates for One Night Stand 2 compared to the first one?

[Voodoo Monkey]

To answer the question about ECW in Canada...there is no deal yet. If WWE really wanted one, they could get on something small like the Fight Network in a second, so they must be actually taking their time to get a deal with a half-decent potential audience.

[boogie down mikel]

ECW's first show got a 2.7 cable rating and a 4 share and 2.357 million households

ECW Ratings (http://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=18582&p=1)

jesus i dont think tna could get that if gail kim and christy hemme actually had lesbian sex on their show

[Larson Something]

To answer the question about ECW in Canada...there is no deal yet. If WWE really wanted one, they could get on something small like the Fight Network in a second, so they must be actually taking their time to get a deal with a half-decent potential audience.
I'm guessing that The Score will take it, eventually. As well as Raw does for TSN, I don't know that they want another weekly show. And Sportsnet doesn't seem like a fit either.

[Mira]

Last night wasn't remotely ECW, I'm expecting a WWECW kind of thing, but that's what one night stand was, this was like an episode of Sunday night heat or something. But anyway, I'm still excited to see ECW when it comes here next Saturday, it's not gonna be televised and it's in Philly so it will most likely be much more like the original ECW.

[Jeremy]

The ECW on Sci-Fi debut was the worst debut showing for the modern era. No Impact has ever been this bad, and the whole show was like a one-hour Cheex marathon. With that said, I loved the Zombie, Vampire, and Sandman destroying said Zombie. Vince wants this to work, so I'm sure it'll improve with time, but they could've easily lost a lot of viewers due to this terrible first effort.

[gravymaster]

The ECW on Sci-Fi debut was the worst debut showing for the modern era. No Impact has ever been this bad, and the whole show was like a one-hour Cheex marathon. With that said, I loved the Zombie, Vampire, and Sandman destroying said Zombie. Vince wants this to work, so I'm sure it'll improve with time, but they could've easily lost a lot of viewers due to this terrible first effort.
Just stay tuned. What they had the other night is NOT ECW. Once they hit the smaller arenas and get their crowd back, I'm sure it will be cool. Just give it some time. I have trust in Paul Heyman. He's earned my trust, so I'm going to stick with him.

[Jeremy]

I've got faith in it, but remember - Heyman does NOT control the new ECW. I'm expecting the show to improve next week, and then really improve once the forced hype for Vengeance ends. I really hope WWE gets to work on making a new ECW World title belt. That Figs replica just won't work as "the" belt for a number of reasons.

[Nebuchanezzar]

I've got faith in it, but remember - Heyman does NOT control the new ECW.

I doubt that the WWE actually listens to what online fans think, but when you've got the whole online community, and every wrestler backstage saying that the show was a crock of shit, Vince isn't just going to let it continue down that path. Things will change, regardless of who's running it.

[Dr Zaius]

The ring should be that old greenish/blue colour. It isn't being shown in England, right? I can't find it on the timetable. That fucking sucks.

[Nebuchanezzar]

I heard from the site in my signiture </plug>, from some guy in England, that it's taking the place of Velocity. I don't know how accurate that is.

It ain't being shown in Australia either, which is a real bummer.

[Dr Zaius]

I'd love it to replace velocity. Damn, I hope that's true.

[gravymaster]

Recording these ECW shows from Smackdown tapings is the WRONG MOVE. They did turn down the house lights though.

[Jeremy]

Tonight's show was much better than the first one (or Raw). TNA could learn some lessons from it as we've already got established characters after just two weeks.

[gravymaster]

Yeah, the last match was fucking good.

[Nebuchanezzar]

The response to last weeks ECW event was pretty harsh from both backstage and on the internet. I wonder if the WWE took those critisisms to heart and let Heyman run with the ball or something of that nature.

[boogie down mikel]

well you can already tell this will be more than likely the style theyll try and go for, they dimmed most of the house lights in the arena so it looked more like an ecw venue which was a very nice touch

still some pyro but now only for rvd and show.....i hope sandman just continues being the lame gimmick squasher, always good for a laugh

kelly is 2006's sable, and that guy (mike knox i believe) should take on a a mark mero type of role

test coming in will be good as he always had some good chemistry with the big show

cena actually looked good in his promo, last match was awesome but i hope orton isnt too banged up

[Lounge Fly]

Last i heard, Smackdown was going to be the warm up show for ECW.

[gravymaster]

The response to last weeks ECW event was pretty harsh from both backstage and on the internet. I wonder if the WWE took those critisisms to heart and let Heyman run with the ball or something of that nature.
Rumor had it that Vince and Co. were completely hands off for this week's show.....and I feel it showed. Twice as good as the premiere. I just rewatched the main event, too. I really enjoyed that match.


cena actually looked good in his promo, last match was awesome but i hope orton isnt too banged up
I actually really enjoyed Cena's promo with all the ECW members backstage. It really had a Heyman touch to it, and was the best I've seen out of Cena.

[Dr Zaius]

The Sandman's in great shape. I watched the first ONS on video last night. He was such a fatass I thought his cellulite were tatoos. They should do something about the guy's music, though.

[Matt B.]

ECW got a 2.3 cable rating with a 4 share. Considering how bad the show was last week and NBA Finals ECW seems to built a audience

ECW Ratings (http://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=18710&p=1)

[sikkbones]

The reason why the new ECW will not fail....

As noted, it attracts much older auidiences from 18 years old through about 47 year old people.

I know some older adults seeing my dad is a wrestling fan, been one since the 60's, he has friends as wrestling fans among many more, and usually the older audiences enjoys a good old mainstream straight out pro wrestling show. I must admit, the new ECW isn't the greatest when it comes to ECW style. But as a pro wrestling show, I think it's great. If you ask me, if extended to 2 hours long, it's the way a regular pro wrestling show should be IMO.

Now I see why the younger audience keeps bitching about the show.... they just care about extreme action with lack of wrestling. That's why mature audiences will continue to watch it as a good old-school pro wrestling show.

And this is why I will support ECW because it pulls a great extreme professional wrestling show for the mature audiences.

EDIT: If you ask me, it felt like watching a WWE show from the early 80's and before with the environment.... dimmed lights like it was when their shows were in Madison Sq. Garden, same plain turnbuckle pads, plain ring skirt it literally looked like a modern version of a classic WWE arena.

[boogie down mikel]

last week's show i heard was more vinnie influenced while thids week i heard was a lot of heyman and it showed....i hope they keep up with shows like this

[Dr Zaius]

I just watched the first show as it finally aired in the UK. I know Heyman promises a "new ECW", but it just doesn't feel the same without the fans acting like bloodthirsty animals and chanting shit like crazy. Even when the Sandman comes out, there's nothing.

[gravymaster]

I just watched the first show as it finally aired in the UK. I know Heyman promises a "new ECW", but it just doesn't feel the same without the fans acting like bloodthirsty animals and chanting shit like crazy. Even when the Sandman comes out, there's nothing.
That's because it is taped in front of fucking Smackdown fans. Do yourself a favor and buy some ECW tapes online or buy ECW's Bloodiest Matches or The History of ECW. You will see what it is all about. HOPEFULLY, they go back to the small arenas with their crowd.

[Nebuchanezzar]

I don't see how hiring out a massive stadium for a few hours extra everyweek, plus travel expenses is cheaper for the WWE than to keep ECW based in Philadelphia permanently.

[Lizard Queen]

I just read a little bit of net buzz that ECW will get picked up by TSN - but I'm not sure how much truth there is to it. Hold tight Canadian fans; I'm sure the suits will get it on for us soon.

[sikkbones]

it's not like i want to see extremely crappy wrestling anyways... the Watered down WWE version is gonna suck... real ECW is gone...

[Nebuchanezzar]

Did anyone say that this was going to be the second coming of the original ECW? No. It was clearly stated on TV, on the internet, on this very forum that it would indeed be different from the original. It may not be as good, but from what I hear it's much more entertaining than say...Smackdown, or Impact...maybe even RAW. Enjoy it for what it is, not what you so uselessly want it to be.

[sikkbones]

Did anyone say that this was going to be the second coming of the original ECW? No. It was clearly stated on TV, on the internet, on this very forum that it would indeed be different from the original. It may not be as good, but from what I hear it's much more entertaining than say...Smackdown, or Impact...maybe even RAW. Enjoy it for what it is, not what you so uselessly want it to be.


seeing about how i'm canadian and we don't get ECW anyhow... i'll enjoy not watching it even more.

at least i can see TNA now.

[Curtis]

The first ECW show was horrible, but the second was a big improvement. Hopefully Rob loses the WWE title tonight on Raw to Cena. As much as I hate to say that, I hope it happens because it would be the end of the WWE plugging on ECW's tv time. I can't wait for Test to appear in ECW, I have always been a big Test fan and thought he had the talent to be moved into the main event. He is agile for a big guy and has a nice look. I see him being a Mike Awesome type in the new ECW except without the jumping outside the ring stuff. Although he does have a nice elbow drop. More on what I think will happen on Raw tonight in the WWE thread but I think Test could be a great heel in ECW.

[sikkbones]

should ECW smash the spinning peice of crap belt as soon as possible?
I would have loved to have seen that on the debut show but it looks to me like Cena is going to get the damn think back tonight on Raw, so it won't happen. God I wish they would have let Edge win!
would love for HHH to have won it and smashed it to bits with a sledgehammer... maybe HHH can defect to ECW and ruin it.. but before doing so actually do something cool with the trusty sledgehammer and kill that belt.

[Curtis]

I think Edge is perfect for ECW, it's a shame he didn't defect. After he speared Cena at One Night Stand I thought he was going to zip down the jacket to reveal an ECW shirt sadly he didn't.

[sikkbones]

I think Edge is perfect for ECW, it's a shame he didn't defect. After he speared Cena at One Night Stand I thought he was going to zip down the jacket to reveal an ECW shirt sadly he didn't.
he would have had to dump that skank lita to get over with the ECW fans.

[Mira]

Lita was in ECW before WWE.

[gravymaster]

Lita was in ECW before WWE.
Yeah, she was Angelica. Dory Funk met her there and she went to his training camp to learn how to wrestle. The Funks sent tapes of her to Vince and she eventually got a job with WWF.

[Matt B.]

Source: pwinsider.com

ECW On Sci-Fi did a 2.2 cable rating and a 4 share. Its slightly down from last week but still the best show on Sci-Fi.

[sikkbones]

Source: pwinsider.com

ECW On Sci-Fi did a 2.2 cable rating and a 4 share. Its slightly down from last week but still the best show on Sci-Fi.


wait till TNN hears... they'll move TNA to a prime time slot instead of running old star trek TNG re-runs "sic"

[Nebuchanezzar]

-There was a meeting between Vince, Dunn, and Heyman about ECW and changes being made. The decision has been made to move away from ALL of the old ECW concepts, characters, fans, and everything else and instead to simply 100% form ECW as just another brand for WWE, simply with the ECW name. In Vince's eyes, the old ECW fan base is dead and largely gone and he's going to go forward with things with that in mind.

-This week Heyman put the show together, but when they actually got to the show Vince and the rest of WWE creative tore apart Heyman's ideas, and as a result we got the show that we saw. Heyman did book the Sabu segment, as well as the RVD/Angle segment, but the rest of the show (you know, the entire middle part that everyone hated) was because of Vince and the rest of creative.

-Paul Heyman was not at the gorilla position last night, and Vince was the guy running around running things. Paul kept mainly to himself over on the sidelines, and when someone would come up to him and ask him for feedback or whatever he was open and gave his opinion, but other than that it was more obvious than ever that he is no longer the "mad genius behind ECW".

-They spoke to a lot of people, just people who work for RAW and SD, and they are like "It's not ECW, it's just a continuation of RAW and SD. This isn't good for the ECW wrestlers, and it's not good for the fans." Even people that were not involved in ECW back in the day are ticked that this is what ECW has become now, because they were also hoping for a more old school ECW style of program, in hopes that it would have flooded over and then have allowed workers on RAW and SD to finally go outside of the box more often with their style.

-Another question they've asked people in WWECW was about what happens to guys that have been "Paul Heyman projects", like Mike Knox and CM Punk. The response to that was that they still want Heyman to try and develop characters, but he has been told to change his style to go more along with the WWE style of character creation/development.

-Another thing asked as about if Paul Heyman loses power if Dreamer has anything to gain, and that's not the case. Tommy Dreamer no longer has any control over anything at all and he's now just another wrestler, just like he's always been on TV in WWE. It's been said that the reality has set in for Tommy now, and part of his passion that he had for ECW coming back has now died out a bit. It has hurt him a great deal.

-There was a lot of former ECW people who were not at the show last night. Pretty much the people you saw on TV last night who were former ECW people is the ECW people who were actually at the show. They don't know if this means anything other than they didn't have anything to use them for on TV this week.

-The view right now by many in power in WWE is "why do we need a Danny Doring, Justin Credible, Steven DeAngelis, the refs, etc... when we have fifty workers in OVW, DSW, etc...?"

-The reason for all of this is because when this project first started up, Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer had a ton of power, and the plan was for them to really be the main creative bookers and they planned to used all of the former ECW guys in big ways. Now that Paul Heyman is really nothing more than a symbolic head writer (since Vince and WWE creative go through his work and destroy most of it) and Tommy Dreamer has no power at all anymore, creative just doesn't see the need for most of the former ECW guys.

-Already, most of the ECW refs are on the way out.

-Kurt Angle will be taking time off very soon. As of late, Kurt Angle has been walking around like "the walking dead". People say that he's hurting all over all the time, but being injured isn't what he's taking time off for, and instead it's because of some sort of personal issue.

-Kurt Angle stayed totally to himself at the last ECW show Tuesday night and hasn't been sociable at all with anyone in ECW. He also showed up very late for the ECW show at the ECW Arena. They speculate that Kurt Angle is now looking at everything like this just isn't worth his time anymore (being in ECW that is).

-They talked to a number of people in the company about the "male stripper". As reported before, he is a member of creative, and he's one of the most hated guys in the company. People backstage were actually cheering Sandman doing that, and were actually wishing that he was a lot stiffer on the guy. Many people who weren't Sandman fans before last night, are now.

Source: PWInsider (Got it from a member in another forum and has stated he got the information from there)

It's all kinda sad and frustrating. I don't read internet wrestling news anymore, so I got this from an unreliable source who got it from an unreliable source who supposedly got it from PWInsider, so who knows how true it is. Alas, it's a bit of a downer.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, she was Angelica. Dory Funk met her there and she went to his training camp to learn how to wrestle. The Funks sent tapes of her to Vince and she eventually got a job with WWF.
She also used the name Miss Congeniality in ECW. Her run there was covered in her DVD, albeit through photos, since WWE didn't own the footage yet.

[sikkbones]

what the hell is Hurt Angle doing still wrestling... he was the last person that ever should have joined ECW.. too clean cut... and he was outspoken about the Old ECW crucifixition angle from 96 anyways.

[Matt B.]

WWE.com announced that RVD VS Edge for BOTH WWE and ECW titles this tuesday.

[gravymaster]

MCMAHON TAKING OVER ECW DUTIES


- Word going around is that Paul Heyman has been lifted off the few powers
that he had controlling the ECW brand and Vince McMahon is now taking over.
While Heyman will stay on board doing the creative writing and appearing on
screen, McMahon will be running the show and doing the necessary changes
that he sees fit. If the third brand was set to be doomed from day one since
it launched, now it seems more likely that it will fail since McMahon's
vision of ECW is totally different from Heyman's vision of ECW. It will be
interesting too see where this goes!
So long, ECW I used to love.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Well, it might not suck...but it most probably will. It will be interesting to see how Vince reacts to a failed product as a result of his own actions. He failed with the XFL and it hasn't been mentioned until last weeks RAW on WWE programming, almost as if his failure is a taboo subject. Surely if his vision of ECW flat out fails, he'll be forced to admit that he failed. If Vince admits that he failed, perhaps he'll put a bit more faith into Heyman and Dreamer - if ECW hasn't been cancelled by then.

[boogie down mikel]

well do we know who booked the last two weeks, because they were damn good

[Voodoo Monkey]

Vince did a lot of it, Heyman little bits.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Big Show won the championship? How the hell did that come about?

Also; Kurt Angle is suspended. ECW is left without three major stars, and Big Show is champion. Not that I have anything against Big Show, but I don't think he has a lot of heat in ECW from what I hear.

[Voodoo Monkey]

Big Show's booking last night was very Heymanesque, and Heyman's been the only one to correctly utilize Show in WWE (late 2002, after he was traded to smackdown, the feud with Brock and Angle)

[gravymaster]

Big Show won the championship? How the hell did that come about?

Also; Kurt Angle is suspended. ECW is left without three major stars, and Big Show is champion. Not that I have anything against Big Show, but I don't think he has a lot of heat in ECW from what I hear.
RVD being suspended is THE reason.

[sikkbones]

is the pig slow back to using the chokeslam?

if the pig slow is in ECW and wants to be considered a serious contender he needs to adopt a 911 style gimmick...

o, and they should rehire spike dudley to kick his ass.

[Matt B.]

PWINSIDER.COM reports that ECW On SCI-FI's July 4th episode got a 1.4 cable rating and a 3 share.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Well...on the plus side, maybe they'll think about putting Heyman in charge again.

[Mira]

I was at the show on Tuesday and I was standing near the guy that caught Head when test kicked her. And it was better than every single match.

[sikkbones]

old floppy tits vs. Pig slow for ecw champ tonight?
stupidest idea ever...

flair should be retired and no where near the ECW championship...
if flair becomes ECW champ ever i will stop wrestling forever.

[boogie down mikel]

some thing tells me dreamer may interrupt this ecw title match along with foley

[sikkbones]

Look, nobody expected the old ECW. But there is one glaring reason why it will never be ECW or even feel similar. Vince McMahon.

His constricting control and impetus to have his fingerprints all over everything have doomed this brand to being the next Smackdown and we all know how that show is treated.

ECW would be fine if McMahon were willing to accept ECW for what it is. A spin off company that caters to a segment of the audience.

Record companies that have tons of mainstream stars singing pop music and selling millions of records spin off smaller labels that promote metal, rap, and country bands - and while not as hugely profitable as their mainstream counterparts, they provide a nice stream of side income that the company wouldn't have been able to access otherwise. Same goes for movie companies. Disney at one time owned Miramax which was profitable with it's action and thrillers and they spun off to Dimension which was a horror movie company. Disney is certainly not a regular player in those markets so they created or purchased brands that could provide them access to those fans and they made a profit in those respective divisions.

Vince McMahon however, while touting WWE as an entertainment company, feels the need to make all of his companies the same. The same exact vision, the same exact production values. And all the while he tries to milk the same fanbase for more of their money.

There are some serious moves they could make to create the feel of ECW that wouldn't require a complete overhaul of anything other than Vince McMahon's ego. Good luck with that, by the way.

1. Move ECW TV tapings to small venues, on their own. ECW TV was awesome because there was a feeling of exclusivity to them. ECW arena was home. Tape shows there. Tape in smaller venues and tape in pro-ECW arenas that will not just have a pumped live audience but will project that pro-ECW feel to the fans. If you don't think having a pro-ECW audience makes a difference, watch the ONS PPVs and then go back and watch these Sci Fi shows. Promoting in pro-ECW cities helps build the shows up before you try to take it to places like Texas where nobody will give a damn about the promotion.

2. Change the look of the show. The show looks and feels like Raw and Smackdown. Get Kevin Dunn away from this show! Have Ron Buffone produce the show. Part of what made ECW feel different was that it looked different. It looks exactly like the WWE right now and it has zero chance to attract the many fans that have tuned out due to being disgusted with the WWE's style and ridiculous stories. How about a Pulp Fiction montage, or interview backstage with Joey Styles in front of an ECW banner every once in a while? Why does the show have to be exactly the same as other WWE shows?

3. Stop pushing the WWE size requirements, wrestling style, and dress code onto ECW. This again goes to the whole thing of not being WWE. WWE uses those size requirements as a way to discriminate against the ECW wrestlers whom the fans would warm up to if they were ever (a) given any air time that didn't involve them being squashed or (b) allowed to have any backstory to their characters. Currently, other than Sabu and the whipping Tommy Dreamer is taking every week, that's the extent of ECW. And Test will not make this any better with his boring in-ring style.

4. Paul Heyman did a terrific job in OVW and his short stint on Smackdown had people whispering about it becoming the top brand in WWE while he was there. Let him run the ship.

ECW's in-ring style was always more exciting and pushed boundaries. If WWE's worried about being sued for some crazy injury, run a disclaimer on the TV show and have the wrestlers sign injury waivers. I am sure that many of these guys would prefer to be able to do what they are best at rather than being stuck in a cardboard cutout of a WWE jobber.

All that is required for ECW to succeed revolves around getting Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn to takes their hands off. ECW is a brand that can be built up to be both a financial and ratings success. But to do so WWE has to accept that ECW needs to be something completely different and to treat it not as a brand extension of WWE but rather as a spin off company and market it as such. ECW guys should not be on WWE shows or PPVs. WWE Rewinds and ads should not be on ECW shows. They need to be treated as completely different animals.

If Vince fails to do this, then it will be borrowed time for this new ECW before it gets cancelled. After all, with how bad the first two WWE brands are, who wants to sit around and watch a horrible third one that happens to steal the name of the beloved group that made us care the last time Vince and Company had turned us off?

[Matt B.]

I expect Lair to win ad reopen the doors for another ECW VS Raw

[boogie down mikel]

if flair wins the ecw title the ratings will plummet

[Dr Zaius]

I would have been pissed off like hell is Test beat Dreamer straight-up. Thankfully he held the tights.

[Jeremy]

Ratings wouldn't plummet for Flair winning the ECW title - he's a legend. Also, SD is THE brand for good wrestling right now. Raw and ECW certainly don't have it consistently. Last night's show drew a 2.4 rating, which is the second highest one yet for the show. It was surreal seeing Flair in an ECW ring, and even more surreal to see him use a barb wire bat and LAND ON THUMBTACKS. I bet Shane Douglas was doing his trademark cackle at that sight.

[Matt B.]

Source:PWINSIDER.COM

The ratings foe last nights ECW On Sci-Fi are in. ECW got a 2.4 cable rating and a 4 share.

[gravymaster]

Sabu talking in promos bothers me more than subway bombings. I'm fucking serious.

[boogie down mikel]

................um did sabu gets DQed on ECW last tuesday or was i just really stoned?

[Dr Zaius]

I think so. He used a table or something in a non-extreme rules match. Damnit, every ECW match should be extreme rules.

[sikkbones]

This is the broadband version of RVD and Sabu talking to the cops before they were arrested. It is quite funny.

http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mo...&pmmsid=1680640 (http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=1&pmmsid=1680640)

[Jeremy]

Tonight's ECW show was better than last week's. Next week's should be really good, with Punk's ECW TV debut, and Angle's return (once again coming way too soon).

[Dr Zaius]

The results sound pretty good. I haven't watched the show yet, I want to.

[boogie down mikel]

ill be honest big show and kane was a barn burner, excellently done match for the two big men....much better than that backlash debachle

angle, punk, sabu/show, and the vampire next week....should rawk

any guesses as to which old ecw talent will do the job to punk? my guess is mamaluke

[Nebuchanezzar]

ECW is now going to be shown in Australia. Should I be excited? Probably not, but I am anyway.

[Jeremy]

Mikel, Credible would be my guess, or maybe Sandman since he drinks. The main event of the show will be Batista vs. Big Show - This doesn't scream ECW, but I could see this being a decent match given the plunder.

[sikkbones]

Bam Bam Bigelow was arrested yesterday in Brooksville, FL. He appeared in the Hernando County court to contest a traffic citation related to a motorcycle accident he was involved in. Bigelow lost control of his bike and crashed, injuring himself and his girlfriend. He was charged with a number of infractions including three different charges involving DUI since his blood alcohol at the time of the wreck was over .20. Bigelow was handcuffed and taken from the court room and is held on $5,000 bail as of last night.

[gravymaster]

There was some talk on the various sites that after the recent Hammerstein Ballroom show that Vince and crew realized that ECW really needed it's own tapings for the show to really do well and seem like a separate product, and that these tapings could start as soon as next month. Looks like this won't happen though.

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/articles/50359

Paul Heyman continues to push for exclusive ECW2 tapings, while Kevin Dunn is opposed to the idea on financial grounds. The average Raw or Smackdown taping costs $526,000 and, though ECW2 can be done cheaper than that, it also makes far less on the house show market. Raw or Smackdown can expect around $125,000 - $200,000 on average from a house show gate, while even the biggest ECW2 house shows at Philadelphia and the Hammerstein Ballroom earned only $45,000. Heyman countered with the idea that the exclusive tapings would make for better TV, really establish an identity for the brand, and have a knock-on benefit for the house show circuit. Dunn noted that it would mean considerable renegotiations for the ring crew, truck drivers, etc., plus mean management, including Vince McMahon, would lose another day at the office to attend tapings. On top of this, the Sci Fi deal brings in very little money for WWE, as they went in low due to uncertainty over the size of the audience. However, the ratings are 70% higher than what the network projected, putting WWE in a strong bargaining position for the next deal (the current one expires on the 22nd August) even though they are currently having to offset losses by hiding the collective downsize guarantees of around $2.25 million for Angle, Show and RVD. It is said that Vince will not commit to exclusive tapings unless Sci Fi is prepared to invest more money into the show. Even then, it would remain to be seen what happened to the Smackdown tapings, which are currently set for Tuesdays. They might be moved to Wednesdays now the show doesn't air in Canada till Fridays, yet this would mean altering the Saturday - Thursday travel schedule for the brand as well. Ah, confusion.

[sikkbones]

when on Global does the show come on?

Batista vs. ECW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This comes from lordsofpain.net

Apparently there is some backstage heat on Batista for the way he handled himself at a recent ECW show, where he lost his cool just moments after walking to the ring when ECW fans started booing him.

Batista received negative feedback from several people backstage for losing his cool so easily, especially after Vince McMahon and Johnny Ace told him personally that booing was likely to happen.

Batista’s appearance was heavily edited for the broadcast, with WWE putting in footage of fans cheering him and holding up signs supporting him. The negative chants were covered up with a long “ECW” chant, and any remarks Joey Styles or Tazz made in regards to the fans were removed.

Credit - Wrestling Observer Newsletter

[Larson Something]

^Midnight. It started last week.

[boogie down mikel]

despite the blown spots in the main event i thought ecw had another very solid show last night

punk looked great, knox and test are getting some good heat and fbi sold like champs, foley/flair was short and sweet and rvd/sabu kicked some ass

[block02]

I dig Foley as a heel. I've always liked him, but I love the way he mixes the brutality of Cactus Jack, the psychotic mannerisms of Mankind, and the comedy of Dude Love. Flair is good too, when coprehensible.

Punk/Credible was good, but the atmosphere of Punk's debut couldn't be matched. Looked like the plancha was botched too, but I couldn't tell.

Rene Dupree is not Rick Martel, and even Martel wouldn't belong in ECW.

Good squash with Test and Knox vs. FBI. Looks like Dreamer/Sandman vs Test/Knox at Summerslam.

I expected the main event to be a botchfest, so I wasn't really shocked. The Triple Jump Moonsault off the ladder botch was improvised well by RVD. The monkeflip of the ladder was great too. Worst bit was when Show kept holding Sabu in the air and trying to position him right below the contract.

[sikkbones]

midnight of which day?

[Larson Something]

Friday.

[Jeremy]

Martel would have fit right into ECW. After all, even Davey Boy and the Warlord worked in the company.

[block02]

Really? I could see Warlord, but Davey Boy was in ECW?? When was that? Speaking of the British Bulldog, has there been any word on when his son Harry expected to debut?

[sikkbones]

WrestlingObserver.com reports that some changes are in store for WWE's ECW brand.

Beginning next month, WWE will greatly streamline its ECW taping schedule. It will no longer book ECW-only television tapings, and a number of shows—obviously, but not limited to, those airing during Supershow weeks—will be taped.

It remains unclear if a motivation for the revised taping plans is the value of the rights fee WWE will collect under a new contract with Sci-Fi.