Is ECW about to end as we know it? (ECW renewed)

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Beginning this Wednesday, our fans can now relive the action of ECW on Sci Fi in a single, uninterrupted video stream right here on WWE.com. Not just that, but you, the fans, will also have the opportunity to name this brand-new feature!

 

For the first time ever, fans can watch Tuesday night’s ECW in its entirety each week from the comfort of their computer. In celebration of this unprecedented event for WWE programming, you are invited to come up with its name. Submit your ideas and WWE.com will choose the top five entries. After that, you get the final say by voting for which of the top five should be the title for this groundbreaking Web feature.

 

Also, this unique platform will be your opportunity to see the exclusive footage WWE Mobile on AT&T subscribers see first. Catch the After the Bell exclusive video as part of the ECW on WWE.com full stream every Wednesday.

 

Miss some of the action Tuesday night on Sci Fi Channel? Want to see an incredible moment one more time? Want to participate in this extraordinary experience? Check back with WWE.com this Wednesday and be a part of history.

 

 

WWE.com

 

 

 

Does this mean ECW might end up like Heat?

[Downhome 0]

I went ahead and made a thread just for this, since it seems to get more interesting as more news comes out about ECW. The TV deal ends at the end of this year, so it looks like it could end up a WWE.com show as it was meant to be from the very start. Why even have it, complete with a champ, if it is just going to end up a WWE.com streaming show?

 

I usually enjoy the ECW TV show.

 

Meh.

[Black Lushus 0]

One can only hope. I mean, if you're not going to do it correctly, don't do it at all.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I always knew that Vince McMahon's vision of ECW would ultimately fail.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

3 full blown brands and shows is just overkill. It seems like every other night there is either a wrestling show or PPV. Back in the day you used to have to make an effort to watch RAW because that's all that was coming on. Now, if you miss one show they just have a recap of any important events on the next days show.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I thought nothing at all of the guys wrestling between brands (someone asked in the Comments thread why that didn't get it's own) but yeah, I went over to WWE.com to look something up and saw that story. While I don't like jumping to conclusions (I stand still, the conclusions jump to me), my first thought was it's being set up to take over Velocity's old spot on WWE.com.

 

Hopefully this means the next time I go to a SmackDown taping in Detroit, it will be the old "do a dark match, tape 4 matches in a row, short break, tape SmackDown" forumla and not the "do a dark match, tape SmackDown, wait for 10pm so ECW can start, run live until 11 which means sitting through non-match segments that add extra commercial breaks, then re-tape the main event" 4 hour marathon sessions.

[Scroby 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

2. So Smackdown talent will show up on ECW and ECW talent will show up on Smackdown, why do people think this is some kind of merge? You guy's don't remember when ECW, RAW, and Smackdown talents were showing up on all of the shows at the end of last year? It's going to be pretty much the same thing except Raw wrestlers won't be included.

[LJSexay 0]

I hope to hell ECW doesn't fold, because it's the 'wrestling' brand legit. I'd say the same about SD, but ECW does it even better.

[dubq 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

 

It's most likely happening because their TV deal is up at the end of the year and all signs are pointing to it not getting renewed.

[Downhome 0]

From F4W:

 

In a story that will need to be following closely, it appears there is a very good chance that the brand extension will end in some way, at least as it pertains to Smackdown and ECW. The move is being made as a direct result of TV talks between WWE and NBC/Universal not going well.

 

It's coming time for WWE and The Sci-Fi Network to sign an extension for ECW (the current deal expires at the end of 2007), and Sci-Fi has shown cold feet. Since the premiere in June of 2006, the show has dropped from a 2.79 to a 1.1 and 1.2 the past two weeks. A 1.2 for original programming on Sci-Fi is not good, and worse, the other shows that do in that range will all pull better ad rates than a pro-wrestling show. The reason for the tanking ratings is obvious. It's a C-level show if you're being kind, and really only a step above Heat or Velocity. The only thing of value on the show is the Balls Mahoney/Kelly Kelly storyline, which is being scripted by Dusty Rhodes. Sometimes you'll get good wrestling, such as the title match last month between CM Punk and John Morrison, but in general the show ends and it's pretty clear why its average rating has plunged of late.

 

Talk heated up Monday when Vince sent the directive to make the show more appealing to Sci-Fi. At first, the decision was simply to send Kane over there permanently, and since it's Sci-Fi, have him go back to the See No Evil psychotic persona. On Tuesday, though, WWE.com announced that "several meetings have taken place between Acting SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero and ECW General Manager Armando Estrada that, if ratified, would allow SmackDown and ECW Superstars to compete on Tuesday and Friday nights." In real life, there are creative meetings planned for Thursday and Friday of this week regarding fusing the brands permanently.

 

On Monday, the idea was that Dusty and ECW assistant writer Jen Bloodsworth (real name) would be assigned to make this show a success. On Tuesday, after moving forward with the idea, the new belief was that Dusty and Michael Hayes (Smackdown creative) would be in charge of the combined brand with David Lagana (ECW) losing most of his power outside of actually writing the scripts for the shows (since Dusty is computer illiterate). Keep in mind that anything written as of today is subject to change, and in fact the exact words from someone close the situation were "you name it, they're considering it right now".

 

As noted, Vince is making this move in hopes of a Sci-Fi renewal, or at the very least an extension. Unless things dramatically turn around, either the show will not be renewed or it will be renewed under VERY favorable terms to the USA/Sci Fi/Universal side. Bonnie Hammer is in charge of Sci-Fi and USA, and as noted last week she's stepped up requests for WWE to institute more of her ideas since ratings are dipping. When she signed the three-year deal with them on April 4, 2005 she was expecting numbers in the 4s and low 5s, which she certainly won't be getting in April of 2008. For those wondering why she would expect that when WWE was also not doing 4s and 5s in 2005 on Spike, well, she was looking at how WWE did when they left USA the first time, because after all, according to WWE, one of the reasons they weren't doing 4s and low 5s in 2005 was because they were on Spike. Don't ask for logic here. The point, though, is that WWE will have very little leverage when time comes for the Raw renewal, and the chances of them getting the same or even comparable terms to what they got in 2005 are probably slim.

 

The future of ECW will be a great indication about where Hammer sees the WWE/USA relationship moving forward. It's a very sobering reality for WWE, which over the past year or so has greatly stepped up efforts to draw TV ratings at the expense of making money off PPV. Raw this week was a perfect example as they gave away all three possible WWE Title matches for Cyber Sunday for free, and that includes the huge Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton grudge match after Orton supposedly gave Michaels a concussion five months back and "nearly ended his career". Most people probably didn't even notice the stupidity of all of this, which should tell you how poorly WWE has been building up their PPVs of late. PPV used to be the number one income generator in the company and recently fell to number three after a year of badly dipping numbers, and now the number one generator, TV rights fees, is looking to take a serious hit. As noted last week, WWE isn't about to go out of business, but this could be the beginning of a long "winter" for business that Vince McMahon himself predicted, though he believed it would happen for entirely different reasons, mainly the death of Chris Benoit and a Congressional investigation into pro-wrestling which ultimately doesn't look like it'll be a major deal after all.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

Raw was supposed to go online with JR as the announcer. USA Network put a stop to that.

 

The timing of ECW being announced as "going online" 2 months before their TV deal is supposed to be expire seems a bit more than a coincidence, Scroby.

 

I might be biased because by the time 12am Friday in Canada rolls around I'm in no mood to stay up until 1am to watch a show that aired days prior in the States but I think injecting storylines like Miz/Balls/Kelly and wrestlers like CM Punk into SmackDown while basically making the ECW show a non-televised net show - SmackDown's version of WWE.com Heat, which they used to have in the form of Velocity - is a good idea.

[dubq 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

Raw was supposed to go online with JR as the announcer. USA Network put a stop to that.

 

The timing of ECW being announced as "going online" 2 months before their TV deal is supposed to be expire seems a bit more than a coincidence, Scroby.

 

I might be biased because by the time 12am Friday in Canada rolls around I'm in no mood to stay up until 1am to watch a show that aired days prior in the States but I think injecting storylines like Miz/Balls/Kelly and wrestlers like CM Punk into SmackDown while basically making the ECW show a non-televised net show - SmackDown's version of WWE.com Heat, which they used to have in the form of Velocity - is a good idea.

 

I wouldn't even bother. You might as well forget about ECW anyway as WWE.com has once again gayed it up and only allows streaming of the show to American website visitors.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

Raw was supposed to go online with JR as the announcer. USA Network put a stop to that.

 

The timing of ECW being announced as "going online" 2 months before their TV deal is supposed to be expire seems a bit more than a coincidence, Scroby.

 

I might be biased because by the time 12am Friday in Canada rolls around I'm in no mood to stay up until 1am to watch a show that aired days prior in the States but I think injecting storylines like Miz/Balls/Kelly and wrestlers like CM Punk into SmackDown while basically making the ECW show a non-televised net show - SmackDown's version of WWE.com Heat, which they used to have in the form of Velocity - is a good idea.

 

I wouldn't even bother. You might as well forget about ECW anyway as WWE.com has once again gayed it up and only allows streaming of the show to American website visitors.

 

 

Use proxies.

[dubq 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

Raw was supposed to go online with JR as the announcer. USA Network put a stop to that.

 

The timing of ECW being announced as "going online" 2 months before their TV deal is supposed to be expire seems a bit more than a coincidence, Scroby.

 

I might be biased because by the time 12am Friday in Canada rolls around I'm in no mood to stay up until 1am to watch a show that aired days prior in the States but I think injecting storylines like Miz/Balls/Kelly and wrestlers like CM Punk into SmackDown while basically making the ECW show a non-televised net show - SmackDown's version of WWE.com Heat, which they used to have in the form of Velocity - is a good idea.

 

I wouldn't even bother. You might as well forget about ECW anyway as WWE.com has once again gayed it up and only allows streaming of the show to American website visitors.

 

 

Use proxies.

 

I don't care enough about it try that hard.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I know "Hardcore Hangover" is only viewable in the US but I thought Canadians could watch Heat on WWE.com. I just don't bother because it's Heat.

[dubq 0]

I know "Hardcore Hangover" is only viewable in the US but I thought Canadians could watch Heat on WWE.com. I just don't bother because it's Heat.

 

I tried it and it gave me a Region Blocked message..

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Not just that, but you, the fans, will also have the opportunity to name this brand-new feature!

 

 

Impending cancellation.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Not just that, but you, the fans, will also have the opportunity to name this brand-new feature!

ECW: Too Crap for TV

[Guest cheetoe]

It would be crazy if WWE couldn't find a TV deal after absorbing every other major wrestling company. I doubt that would ever happen, but still... it lends itself to the whole argument that the best thing for business is competition. It sounds like whatever TV deal they do end up getting isn't going to be anywhere near as fat as the ones they are used to.

 

It would be funny if in 20 years everything was back to small regional territories and the WWE/F didn't exist.

[Black Lushus 0]

they don't need competition, they just need to fix their product.

[dubq 0]

It would be crazy if WWE couldn't find a TV deal after absorbing every other major wrestling company. I doubt that would ever happen, but still... it lends itself to the whole argument that the best thing for business is competition. It sounds like whatever TV deal they do end up getting isn't going to be anywhere near as fat as the ones they are used to.

 

It would be funny if in 20 years everything was back to small regional territories and the WWE/F didn't exist.

 

I'm honestly surprised that they haven't made MORE of an effort to create their own television presence. I mean, they have that on demand channel. Vince is a billionaire. Why hasn't he started his own channel that can show live Raw, Smackdown, ECW, etc.?

[Scroby 0]

they don't need competition, they just need to fix their product.

ding.

 

A few fresh ideas (good fresh ideas) would draw attention to ECW.

[Hawk 34 0]

they don't need competition, they just need to fix their product.

ding.

 

A few fresh ideas (good fresh ideas) would draw attention to ECW.

 

It's the lack of starpower that hurts ECW and that it's clearly promoted as the C show. ECW is the better show of the three, at least with pacing. Dusty is clearly writing better stuff then what the other two brands are doing. Balls and Kelly is the most compelling story in WWE right now and it's done with the most overused plot in history but it works because the involved parties are good at getting the crowd into it. Meanwhile, the fans sit on their hands watching Batista do whatever Batista does.

[Scroby 0]

they don't need competition, they just need to fix their product.

ding.

 

A few fresh ideas (good fresh ideas) would draw attention to ECW.

 

It's the lack of starpower that hurts ECW and that it's clearly promoted as the C show. ECW is the better show of the three, at least with pacing. Dusty is clearly writing better stuff then what the other two brands are doing. Balls and Kelly is the most compelling story in WWE right now and it's done with the most overused plot in history but it works because the involved parties are good at getting the crowd into it. Meanwhile, the fans sit on their hands watching Batista do whatever Batista does.

I fully agree with you. If you told a casual wrestling fan, who doesn't watch all the shows, who was on ECW, you'd most likely get a lot of "who?" responses, but I don't really think Kane is going to be able to help ECW when it comes to star power all that much, but he looked freaking great on ECW on Tuesday so I could be wrong.

[Scroby 0]

Why is anyone thinking ECW is going to end because of two happenings?

 

1. The computer thing is most likely a test to see if how many hits it can get. I'm sure if it does well, we might see other shows get the same treatmet.

 

Raw was supposed to go online with JR as the announcer. USA Network put a stop to that.

 

The timing of ECW being announced as "going online" 2 months before their TV deal is supposed to be expire seems a bit more than a coincidence, Scroby.

Maybe the online thing is a way of a backup plan if the Sci-fi deal does fall through and WWE can't find a channel to put ECW on.

 

[haws bah gawd 0]

they don't need competition, they just need to fix their product.

ding.

 

A few fresh ideas (good fresh ideas) would draw attention to ECW.

 

It's the lack of starpower that hurts ECW and that it's clearly promoted as the C show. ECW is the better show of the three, at least with pacing. Dusty is clearly writing better stuff then what the other two brands are doing. Balls and Kelly is the most compelling story in WWE right now and it's done with the most overused plot in history but it works because the involved parties are good at getting the crowd into it. Meanwhile, the fans sit on their hands watching Batista do whatever Batista does.

I fully agree with you. If you told a casual wrestling fan, who doesn't watch all the shows, who was on ECW, you'd most likely get a lot of "who?" responses, but I don't really think Kane is going to be able to help ECW when it comes to star power all that much, but he looked freaking great on ECW on Tuesday so I could be wrong.

 

Kane's Extreme Rules match against Big Show during the Summer of 2006 was one of the best brawls of last year. The guy can really do when he wants to. It just always amazed me how well Kane and Big Show clicked.

[NoCalMike 0]

C-show or not, it'd be a shame if "ECW" can't maintain a spot on some network. It has it's problems, but it is the only WWE-produced show that I still DVR. The rest I just read the results first and base that on whether or not I want to tape the following weeks show.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

There goes Stevie, Dreamer, and Nunzio.

[Perfxion 0]

ECW's biggest problem is that there is nothing special about it. When the show started with Extreme rules matches, fast pace feel, and RVD/Sabu/Angle on the show, people gave a shit. Now with all three completely gone nobody cares. There is nothing on ECW that makes it feel like a different show. Its Smackdown lite, which is saying alot seeing how less of a show that feels compared to RAW. Hell, it would have been better to rent out a Manhattan center size venue to host the show so it looks and feels different. With the most extreme rules matches in the last year being that one 8 man tag and the big three all quit/fired(both) there is no one to really draw a crowd to say or do anything. The two biggest stars are Nitro/Morrison and Punk and yet their fued feels like a TV title defense from the old Thunder days.

 

They may as well change the name and make it either an X division like program or keep it extreme and let it be extreme. Then there is aleast a niche to the show for it to stay in the minds of viewers

[mfn 0]

They just need to do something to separate ECW from the rest of the shows. Who cares if every match is extreme rules? Doesn't mean that every match has to include weapons and such.

 

They have some amazing talent on ECW... they just need to do something besides be the 'C-Brand' show.