Was WWE's ECW any good?

cian68

I didn't watch WWECW at all. It wasn't like Smackdown where I read the results and checked it out if I thought something interesting happened. I mean I watched the first two or three episodes and then never again. Was it good? Did guys get to have good matches because Vince was so uninterested in the booking? Was it like NXT is now where internet favourites like Sami Zayn get to showcase their stuff on tv? Or was it uninteresting garbage that warranted my dismissal?

jaykhunter

As a concept, it was horrible. In execution, great matches (surrounded by no storylines and mediocrity) were like a single flower growing out of mouldy dirt. It started off as a disgraceful, sanitised bastardisation of the original, beloved ECW. Over time, they just produced mediocre matches with WWE stars masquerading as "ECW Extremists". For a time, you'd get some good matches as Punk & Benoit were on the show, and they phased out the aul lads. It did become a farming system where younger talent cut their teeth - and since Vince was too tired to even look at Smackdown after RAW finished, he left the agents to it. Like Matt Stryker was an amazing commentator in ECW, lucid, insightful and invested, and Jack Swagger was a wrestling machine, putting on excellent TV matches with the likes of Christian, Finlay and even Tommy Dreamer.

Then whenever these "ECW alums" moved to RAW, they were small fish in a big pond, and were routinely overlooked. Then came WWE's version of Extreme, Big Show, Bobby Lashley, Big Zeke. Chavo Guerrero - ECW champion - entered the royal rumble in the hopes of winning a real championship title shot. WWECW died and nobody mourned it's death. There were glimmers of hope in a mound of Vince's impossible version of ECW - a model designed to fail. Heyman left in late 2006, the show hobbled on for another 3.5 years.

It did produce a few things - December to Dismember was so horrendous (94k buys) and creatively bankrupt (Lasher won the title, not RVD) that it ended single-brand PPVs, and it got fans to stop chanting "ECW! ECW!" for a few years.

gnfnrhead

It slowly improved over time. At the start, it was shockingly bad but by the end was fairly good. For the most part, it was Smackdown's leftovers.

CastorTroy

Not forgetting Extreme Exposé with Kelly, Brooke and Layla.

Didn't the first episode have Sandman versus a zombie or something? Think they said it was because it was on SciFi

rovert

There was different periods of the show. Kind of tuned out by that point but people wax lyrical about the later period. Goldust and ECW champ Christian especially.

duuuaaaane

Storywise it was worthless but between 2008 and 2009 after they dropped being 'Extreme' it hosted some great matches, guys like Sheamus, Benjamin, Ryder, Christian, Swagger, Bourne, Kofi, Goldust all spring to mind.

rovert

Home of CM Punk's finest frustations:

and

Chaos Backstage In ECW, CM Punk In Trouble; Full Story
Date Added: January 14, 2007
Story By: Matthew Boone
Credit: PWInsider.com

According to Dave Scherer, the main culprits in the recent de-push for C.M. Punk are WWE agents Arn Anderson and Fit Finlay.

Punk is currently in the doghouse as he disagreed with the layout of the Elimination Chamber match with Arn Anderson and Michael Hayes who were the producers for it. For last week's ECW T.V., Dave Lagana had written that Punk should get Holly in his vice finisher and Holly should turn over, grab a rope and pin Punk.

In the production meeting when the T.V. was being put together, the whole room turned on Punk when Lagana told them his idea. Arn Anderson especially was against him, saying that Holly should make Punk pay his dues as he's just "Heyman's guy" and not any good so Holly shouldn't need to cheat to pin him. Anderson also said Punk was only over because Heyman fluked it and it shouldn't be happening. Punk was personally told by Anderson that "after 14 years on being on WWE televison, Holly is the bigger star" as an explanation why the heel should pin the babyface clean. The actual finish was came up by Finlay.

Additionally, while of course Heyman is a fighter when it comes to trying to get his ideas over, the new ECW writer Dave Lagana is more of a laid back guy who just wants to go with the flow, so Anderson and Finlay have had a much easier time getting Punk booked to look weak.

It was also reported that Punk's first loss was originally going to occur through a ref bump-type screwjob, but Finlay and Anderson once again got the match changed to the clean loss for Punk.

LOTD

Never saw much of the wwe ecw stuff, stopped watching wrestling at that time, the one night stand PPVs were good. Did anybody here see ECW in its prime, I mean some of the matches/angles looking back are great and actually there was some brilliant wrestling. A lot of the over the top extreme stuff i.e anything New Jack was involved in I don't like.

I think the problem in trying to recreate something like ECW, isn't so much the talent but the vibe itself from the buildings the shows were in to the actual people who showed up to the show, they where characters themselves, if that makes sense.

Dracula88

WWE's ECW version was utter muck the matches were never as extreme as the original ECW . The only person who carried WWE's ECW was Tommy Dreamer .

Riddle101

ECW was bastardized by WWE. They could have given the show a new name like Extreme or Xtreme, with the same format as what they had, but without using the name ECW. It just ruins the legacy of the old promotion, and just a way for Vince McMahon to make some money of the name. In later years, WWECW just became a show for developing new stars in the company, kind've like Nxt. It lost all the aspects that made ECW what it is, even though they hardly had any to begin with. That along with the fact that Paul Haymen left also ruined ECW.

Clemantis

ECW was such a weird show, especially in the post-Lashley era. They were clearly just experimenting with so much stuff, some of which worked, but a lot didn't. (e.g. Shelton Benjamin and Zack Ryder having a singoff on the Abraham Washington Show was one of the worst bits of wrestling TV I've ever seen).

Good points include:
The title reigns of Henry, Hardy, Swagger and Christian were all entertaining.
Stevie Richards actually scored some pinfalls.
The heel version of "woo woo woo" Ryder.

Bad points:
Tommy Dreamer crying.
That skinny kid who followed Dreamer around.
Tiffany's voice.
That lad with the rally towels.

LOTD

the WWE ECW failed because they failed to give Paul Heyman creative control, I think it is as simple as that. The original ECW was so good because Heyman brought in talent from around the world giving guys like Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero and countless others their "Big" breaks. Plus he gave guys like Mick Foley and Steve Austin free reign in developing there characters before they departed.

ECW was really influential and when you try to bring back something so beloved and it doesn't meet people's standards it is bound to fail, regardless who is on the show.ECW had perfect run between 94-01.People loved it because, the promotion didn't last long it didn't have time to become stale or boring.