ECW Coming Back Full Time in Sept

[RedJed 0]

Copied this from the DVD message board.....According to Scherer on PWInsider..This september the WWE is bringing ECW back as a full-time promotion. Contracts being sent out, 3 year deals (well one year deals with rollover clauses). No details on what form it will be, or anything about tv yet. Heyman and Dreamer getting the book, which can only be good news as long as the McMahons keep their hands off it.

 

---If this true, wow - pretty stunned. Hopefully some other sources start reporting this.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=17629&p=1

 

WWE IS BRINGING BACK ECW AS A FULL TIME ENTITY, MAKING PLANS TO SIGN TALENT FROM THE GLORY YEARS FOR NEW VENTURE

 

by Dave Scherer @ 2:56:00 PM on 4/23/2006

 

WWE has made the decision to bring back Extreme Championship Wrestling as a full time entity and has begun talking with former ECW talent about returning to work for the new version of the legendary promotion. As of right now, WWE is targeting a September return for the promotion. No decision has been made as to exactly how the company will be brought back yet. It's possible that it will take over the present OVW territory, that it will be a promotion that gets matches on the Raw and/or Smackdown promotions or possibly in some other manner. Sources have told us that Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer will be booking ECW when it starts up.

 

WWE has already contacted a number of ECW wrestlers and contracts will be sent out to them this week. The talents are being offered three year deals which consist of a series of one year contracts, with rollover clauses. A number of wrestlers have been contacts so far. We can confirm that WWE has talked with The Sandman, Francine and Balls Mahoney and will be sending contracts out to them this week.

 

We will have more information on this story later today or tomorrow.

 

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

[Guest CWMwasmurdered]

5 years too late.

[UZI Suicide 0]

The success of the new ECW is going to rely just as much on whether Heyman & Dreamer can build new stars in the company, as it does on how many old ECW'ers come back.

[Hawk 34 0]

Heyman still has the creative juices, but it's still too late to mean anything. It would appear this is just another touring promotion for WWE to use younger stars (such as the OVW squad) and the older ECW stars that they don't want to use for WWE programing.

[Enigma 0]

How will this air? Internet only? Or will USA Network give them a new timeslot?

 

And how will Joey Styles do Raw and this? He's struggling enough to convert to Vince's "sports entertainment" commentary style. Doing a weekly ECW show in the style he knows and had done for 8 years won't help him convert any faster.

 

I'm curious. But hey, I'll take a new ECW over current WWE or TNA anyday.

[JHawk 0]

Before any of the ECW faithful get their hopes up, this same rumor started up last year after One Night Stand actually drew, and nothing came of it then either.

 

I'd like to see it, but I won't believe it's happening until I do.

[claydude14 0]

Interesting to say the least.

[Enigma 0]

Before any of the ECW faithful get their hopes up, this same rumor started up last year after One Night Stand actually drew, and nothing came of it then either.

 

I'd like to see it, but I won't believe it's happening until I do.

Yeah, but none of the credible sources came out with detailed info like this. It was all just conceptual last year. But when you've got people giving out contract specifics and who's been contacted, you have to look at it a little more than that.

[Guest Coffey]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[MrRant 0]

+2 for Coffey having Blaster Master in his avatar.

[SuperJerk 0]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I'll see it when I believe it.

[Dips 0]

Bet this idea gets canned when ONS2 doesn't bring in that big a buyrate.

[Enigma 0]

From Dave Meltzer:

 

In a story reported on earlier today by Pro Wrestling Insider, WWE is indeed bringing back the ECW brand name for merchandising purposes as well as some form of weekly television and house shows.

 

The decision appears to have been finalized in the past week as several former stars were offered three-year contracts.

 

Paul Heyman will be in charge of the brand. It is believed this will be a mix of both former ECW wrestlers and new WWE developmental wrestlers.

 

It is expected this will lead to some significant changes in the WWE television product as well. The company is not looking to add a third day of television taping. It would likely be handled similar to the Superastros deal in the late 90s, with weekly matches taped before either the Raw or Smackdown tapings.

[veseo 0]

Hope it becomes a webshow like Heat and Velocity.

[Epic Reine 0]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[cabbageboy 0]

I'll go ahead and state the obvious: Just change Smackdown over to ECW.

 

You know, if they wanted to do something truly insane they could have Van Dam win the title at One Night Stand, then throw it down a la Shane Douglas and proclaim himself the new ECW champ. Cause let's face it, if they are really going to relaunch ECW they are going to need champions and such, right?

[k thx 0]

I liked Heymans work in OVW. If they do this in the same way (and don't overload on nostalgia) then it could be pretty nifty.

 

I could see Punk getting a good role in it too.

[SuperJerk 0]

When are the international contracts for Heat and Velocity up?

[Dark Age 0]

I'll go ahead and state the obvious: Just change Smackdown over to ECW.

 

That would be the worst thing they could do. Just change Raw over to ECW.

[haVoc 0]

The problem is trying to draw arena size crowds if SD became ECW on Friday nights.

 

Older ECW alum, the cruisers and new "unknown" guys may not draw enough. They would have to do a supershow every Monday, but that still doesn't help house show attendance.

[cabbageboy 0]

Well, thing is I can't see Vince allowing his main show to be ECW now. I'm thinking they'll reintroduce ECW and then Heyman and Co. will do a full scale takeover of SD with RVD as the champion on the show.

 

Cause let's face it, SD is by and large a show with literally NO direction right now. There's some solid action, but no real overall direction. Raw at least has something happening on the show right now. SD's roster is thin and also has more ECW guys on it than Raw (which has just RVD I think).

[mfn 0]

Vince would never allow RAW to be changed to ECW. If one of the two big shows were going to convert, it would most certainly be Smackdown!.

 

If they are going to bring the promotion back, they should have RVD proclaim himself as the ECW champion, and have sort of an uprising. Perhaps an angle where Heyman comes back and starts taking workers that aren't getting the TV time they deserve (CM Punk for example)

 

If pulled off, the return of ECW could very well be the boost that wrestling has needed for the past 5 years.

[Fro 0]

Well, thing is I can't see Vince allowing his main show to be ECW now. I'm thinking they'll reintroduce ECW and then Heyman and Co. will do a full scale takeover of SD with RVD as the champion on the show.

 

Cause let's face it, SD is by and large a show with literally NO direction right now. There's some solid action, but no real overall direction. Raw at least has something happening on the show right now. SD's roster is thin and also has more ECW guys on it than Raw (which has just RVD I think).

 

SD is going to need to draw strong ratings, plus I doubt they could present an *EXTREME* product on network TV at 8 o'clock. Nor is a revived ECW going to get the attendance Smackdown does.

 

This will be a "third brand" with 1) guys WWE isn't doing a thing with, 2) developmental guys WWE isn't doing a thing with that fit within the style (like CM Punk), and 3) various ECW alumni.

[mfn 0]

Well, thing is I can't see Vince allowing his main show to be ECW now. I'm thinking they'll reintroduce ECW and then Heyman and Co. will do a full scale takeover of SD with RVD as the champion on the show.

 

Cause let's face it, SD is by and large a show with literally NO direction right now. There's some solid action, but no real overall direction. Raw at least has something happening on the show right now. SD's roster is thin and also has more ECW guys on it than Raw (which has just RVD I think).

 

SD is going to need to draw strong ratings, plus I doubt they could present an *EXTREME* product on network TV at 8 o'clock. Nor is a revived ECW going to get the attendance Smackdown does.

 

This will be a "third brand" with 1) guys WWE isn't doing a thing with, 2) developmental guys WWE isn't doing a thing with that fit within the style (like CM Punk), and 3) various ECW alumni.

 

The only problem that I can think of with them taking over Smackdown would be selling out the arenas. I don't see why putting ECW on network TV would be a problem. Shows like CSI and Law And Order have much more disturbing storylines and images on them than a wrestling show.

[cbacon 0]

ECW in an arena? pfft.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Just let it die, Jesus.

 

Can we at least call it "ECW", complete with finger-quotes, ala "ECW" One Night Stand. It's not ECW, it never would be ECW. ECW is dead. The end.

[Hawk 34 0]

ECW in an arena? pfft.

 

They were drawing good shows at mid-size arenas, so as long as they book smaller venues and mid-size arenas, they won't have problems drawing a crowd.

[NYU 0]

This really sounds like another embarrassing "Bret Hart leading the Invasion" type of story to me.