ECW news from the Observer

[Guest stringerbell]

-- NBC Universal has been pressuring WWE to use ECW as a follow-up to RAW storylines as much as possible. They want to use RAW's huge audience on USA to get more viewers over to Sci-Fi for ECW.

 

-- It's said that Brian Gewirtz and Michael Hayes are the main enemies of Heyman and ECW right now. They've been worried about ECW making the RAW brand look weak and have been doing pretty much everything they can to push down Heyman, who has been on Stephanie McMahon�s bad side for a while now.

 

-- Thanks to Joseph Guenther for this: In the current TV GUIDE on page 62, there is a short article on ECW on Sci Fi. The article written by Joseph Dukak. It explains, very briefly, ECW's roots in a Philadelphia bingo hall as a WWE alternative starting in 1993. The article is accompanied by three pictures. One is of Kelly Kelly "stripping". A second picture shows Big Show chokeslamming RVD while the other is of The Sandman holding his kendo stick in the air. They mention the beer drinking Sandman and high-flying Sabu as some of the

characters of the company.

 

Credit:Wrestling Observer

[UZI Suicide 0]

ECW is killing everything else on Sci Fi in ratings, so it amazes me that NBC is so concerned about getting RAW guys on there to bring in more ratings.

 

And a big FUCK YOU to Brian Gerwitz.

[strummer 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

[Kizzo 0]

ECW is killing everything else on Sci Fi in ratings, so it amazes me that NBC is so concerned about getting RAW guys on there to bring in more ratings.

And a big FUCK YOU to Brian Gerwitz.

 

I second that...

 

I still CANNOT figure out why this guy is still the head writer of RAW. Luckily Stephanie is on leave...and Heyman has gained alot more power since she had her kid.

[GODSON 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

 

This guy is so over and such a draw

 

I never understood the Punk hype but too me he seems like another wrestler. What is his appeal? What separates him from the others? Great mic skills,why are his mic skills so great? He is the next Chris Candido(RIP) minus the drug problems,underground king to another bland mid carder. From Kendrick to London to Punk, the average WWE fan don't like them.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Give him time.

[cabbageboy 0]

I don't get the NBC Universal part. Do they not grasp the concept of ECW being a separate brand from Raw? It'd be like having Raw guys show up on SD every week to continue some phantom storyline. ECW has one hour a week, they don't need this crap. They have a top tier mix of RVD, Sabu, Angle, and Big Show. Who needs these Raw guest stars? Those guys are big stars and can draw.

[Vyce 0]

Oh god, Godson is here. Did they ban you at DVDVR, or did you just get bored there?

[Mike wanna be 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

Also according to Meltzer, that would make CM Punk's debut the lowest-rated segment ECW on SciFi has ever had. Pretty sad day for the wrestling fan when CM Punk is a worse ratings-grabber than Test, Mike Knox, or a fake stripper.

[claydude14 0]

I wouldn't be worried. Fans that tuned out probably assumed it'd be a fast squash and later heard that Punk pulled out some "cool shit" i.e. wrestling moves no other E' superstar is using. Tajiri didn't get a response at first but his innovative offense got him very over. Time will tell if Punk's first match losing viewers means anything.

[death_by_burrito 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

 

This guy is so over and such a draw

 

I never understood the Punk hype but too me he seems like another wrestler. What is his appeal? What separates him from the others? Great mic skills,why are his mic skills so great? He is the next Chris Candido(RIP) minus the drug problems,underground king to another bland mid carder. From Kendrick to London to Punk, the average WWE fan don't like them.

 

The difference between London/Kendrick and Punk is that Punk is being given hype. London and Kendrick are still bland faces who act weird to the fans. Punks first match, while not succesful in the ratings, was given hype the next week to make the fans that missed it feel like they missed something big.

 

Give it time. Don't shit on him right away because he is a smark darling.

[Shooting Star 0]

I thought Kendrick and London were over in U.S.A?

[iggymcfly 0]

Sounds like the RVD/Angle/Sabu match this week is going to be really crucial in terms of the future of the brand. If that match manages to draw as big of a rating as some of the earlier shows, then they might let ECW keep going on its own without relying on a Raw tie-in every week for viewership. If the rating's down at all for any reason next week though, watch out. The show's going to get unwatchable again pretty quick.

 

For the record, I'm pretty pumped for the match next week. I'm thinking **** at a minimum. The environment should suit Sabu really well, and with two really solid, motivated workers in the ring with him, I think it will be a hell of a match. I don't think Raw or Smackdown's even capable of putting out a main event that would grab my interest like that. In fact, if RVD wins, I might even have to watch Summerslam on the off chance he wins the title back.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Angle is going to wind up all kinds of dead in this match. I look forward to the post-match column on WWE.com about how he's going to need to take more time off.

[razazteca 0]

I thought Kendrick and London were over in U.S.A?

That would only be the ROH fans that cream their pants over anything Leonardo Spanky and Paul London do, they should be heels in ECW.

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah, I still have to wonder about the logic in putting Angle on ECW. He's now going against guys like RVD and Sabu who have little regard for their own safety in a hardcore match, much less their opponent.

 

I have to admit I am interested in this match Tuesday. Angle winning is the least likely since Angle vs. Big Show at SS for the ECW title is so wrong on so many levels. Yet I don't know if they want to put it right back on RVD right after he got back without any chase to build it. If I had to say anyone, I'd go with Sabu. They've built it on TV for a few weeks at least.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

London/Kendrick were getting over pretty well during their feud w/ MNM. Since then, it's been a crapshoot week to week as to whether they'll even be on Smackdown (with "not being on the show" the prevailing theme), which has hurt their heat.

[CanadianChick 0]

Well, London and Spanky are the type of wrestlers that maybe don't get the biggest pop for their entrance, because they don't have prominant roles on television despite the depleted roster and them having the tag titles, but once they wrestle, the crowd pays attention. See Great American Bash where neither team got much for their intial pop, but boy did they have the crowd by the end of the match.

[Scroby 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

Also according to Meltzer, that would make CM Punk's debut the lowest-rated segment ECW on SciFi has ever had. Pretty sad day for the wrestling fan when CM Punk is a worse ratings-grabber than Test, Mike Knox, or a fake stripper.

Question: Did those viewers come back after Punk's match?

Question: Do you think those viewers decided to tune out because of the last segement?

 

To sit there and say "Oh its Punk's fault that 113,000 viewers tuned out" is a complete load of shit. There are a lot of possible reasons why that so many people tuned out, and to put the blame squarely on Punk, like some of you are, is just dumb.

[k thx 0]

To be fair, it's not unfeasible that 113,000 marks would be scared off by CM Punk (although that doesn't include the smarks who tuned in just to see him wrestle).

[cabbageboy 0]

This stuff like "So and so's match lost 100,000 viewers" is so silly. It's just a statistical anomaly. I remember Booker T. used to be one of the main guys who would lose all sorts of viewers in these Observer reports.

 

There are too many extenuating circumstances in regards to TV ratings. Maybe the previous segment was a turn off, maybe there was something else on TV that drew away viewers.

[Timmy8271 0]

Oh god, Godson is here. Did they ban you at DVDVR, or did you just get bored there?

 

He got banned.

 

 

Freebird hayes ruled, Booker Hayes sucks. And Gerwitz should be attacked by new jack Transit style.

[Kizzo 0]

This stuff like "So and so's match lost 100,000 viewers" is so silly. It's just a statistical anomaly. I remember Booker T. used to be one of the main guys who would lose all sorts of viewers in these Observer reports.

 

There are too many extenuating circumstances in regards to TV ratings. Maybe the previous segment was a turn off, maybe there was something else on TV that drew away viewers.

 

True..

 

But The Rock and Stone Cold always gained millions of viewers during their segments. John Cena also gains alot of viewers when he is featured in a segment. What was the reason for that many people tuning in???

 

So in a way its hard to judge these things... I think the final minutes leading up to those lost of viewers determines the true reason for a gain or loss. Showing Rock making his way to the ring before the segment......or J.R. mentioning something coming up featuring Austin.

[benn 0]

Also, according to Meltzer, CM Punk's debut match lost 113,000 viewers

 

This guy is so over and such a draw

 

I never understood the Punk hype but too me he seems like another wrestler. What is his appeal? What separates him from the others? Great mic skills,why are his mic skills so great? He is the next Chris Candido(RIP) minus the drug problems,underground king to another bland mid carder. From Kendrick to London to Punk, the average WWE fan don't like them.

The average WWE fan likes London and Kendrick just fine and to say otherwise is idiotic. If they'd even been on tv weekly since winning the tag titles let alone cutting promos or put in a feud they would get monster pops. CC is exactly right in what she said.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

You're wrong.

 

The average WWE fan does NOT like Kendrick & London. They like their high-spots and cheer for their moves.

 

They have not been given the chance to develop a relationship with the fans with characters and such.

 

To marks and smarts, they're "those guys that work quickly, hit cool stuff, and wear those weird masks to the ring for some reason."

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Yeah, it's a cool gimmick ain't it.

[benn 0]

Cool indeed.

[uhftv 0]

what does Hayes have against anything ecw-related?

 

there are things I hear that he is a part of that is very good creatively and other things that are super lame-o (Orton Knows Best)

 

113000 fans love Mike Knox.

That's why they had him wrestle twice last week.

 

Seeing Justin Credible come out may have viewers tune out just as much. There're still too many old faces and not enough new ones. Sabu and RVD are the only ones who arent getting squashed.

 

I think they should be happy that on an off-night without a history of wrestling they pull out a good rating. But they see the gap between the shows and thinks there's that huge pool of fans that they can get to watch. I think it's a mix of fans that want something different from wwe and fans that has SOMETHING involving wrestling. The highest they ever did was a 2.8 for the first show and its been hovering around 2.4 ever since. So whatever that .4 difference represents is all the fans that were turned off by that ABYSMAL 1st show and have never looked back since.

 

They've had big names like Cena and Undertaker on, and the show hasnt risen past the average, so they shouldnt even try to get those same Raw viewers to watch.

[EricMM 0]

I don't see how the fans are supposed to connect with Punk in any way.

 

He hasn't made a meaningful promo, his name is not meaningful. He isn't in any sort of storyline.

 

He can talk, wrestle, AND connect, just look at a majority of ROH fans. There is no inherent reason why fans as a whole WOULDN'T connect with him in the same way. ROH fans have exposure, the rest of the world does not.

 

Moreso, maybe Credible lost viewers