Why You Should Watch Extreme Championship Wrestling
So you might be thinking to yourself, “What does wrestling have to do with science fiction?” Maybe it’s a stretch, but it is fiction and the athleticism involves science. But it’s also no coincidence that ECW landed up on the Sci-Fi channel. NBC Universal owns the USA Network and Sci-Fi among many other assets. Since World Wrestling Entertainment’s “RAW” airs on the USA network, it only makes since that when they revived ECW that the show stayed within the NBC family. At first, ECW was supposed to simply be brought back as an internet show on WWE’s official website, but when word spread about ECW’s return there was a buzz around the entertainment industry and a deal was struck with Sci-Fi. If you’re already a wrestling fan, perhaps you are familiar with the old ECW. The old ECW, which folded in early 2001, was originally known as Eastern Championship Wrestling until Paul Heyman came into the picture and initiated a ground breaking campaign that has made wrestling history. Heyman along with others crafted this hardcore, bloody, uncensored, smash mouth wrestling show and set the wrestling industry on fire. Stars like Sabu, Sandman, Shane Douglas, Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Rob Van Dam, The Pitbulls, Francine, Tazz, The Dudley Boys, and many others made ECW a must watch company.
ECW never got really big, but it’s cult following is unlike anything seen in wrestling history. Loyal fans would pack the bingo hall or the Hammerstein Ballroom that these wrestling shows took place in and give their passionate support. Sometimes they would chant vulgar things, other times they would pour out love for the wrestlers that sacrificed so much to entertain them. In ECW everything was acceptable. There was no disqualification and weapons or not, each match was intense and as close to real as any wrestling promotion has ever gotten. The company was eventually able to hold Pay-Per-View events which were quite successful, but they kept getting kicked off of television for their violent and hard hitting action. The company couldn’t afford to keep paying the bills and pay the wrestlers. But before it was all said and done, ECW left its mark. ECW was responsible for inspiring WWE’s “Attitude Era”, arguably its most successful period in which The Rock, Steve Austin, and Triple H brought the wrestling world to the mainstream world. Tables, Ladders, and Chairs took a page from ECW and Edge & Christian, The Dudley Boys, and The Hardy Boyz waged war in mind blowing spectacles no doubt inspired by Extreme Championship Wrestling.
WWE and WCW both got bloodier and more intense in an attempt to capitalized on what ECW had founded and continued to innovate. When ECW closed WWE quickly purchased the video libraries and trademarks. Now WWE has full power over ECW. In June 2005 WWE conducted a historical experiment by running a one time Pay – Per-View called “One Night Stand” in which ECW stars were used to perform a mock ECW show. It was highly successful despite what a lot of critics and loyal ECW fans had to say. The DVD flew off the shelves and it was unanimous, ECW was still a hit. The following year the event was held again, this time with a big twist. WWE now had every intention of reviving ECW on a full time basis, making it a third brand to RAW and SmackDown! John Cena defended his WWE Championship and lost of Rob Van Dam, solidifying the return of ECW by reinstating the Heavyweight Championship.
The new ECW is obviously far different from the original, with many stars being absent and the fact that not all matches are “no disqualification”. The new ECW show had to be mildly adapted to fit on Sci-Fi so there are some strange additions to the roster, such as vampires and a one time appearance by a zombie. ECW originals such as Raven, Rhino, The Dudleys, and others are missing in action and most of them won’t accept WWE’s offers. Also missing is the lucha libre action that ECW is famous for bringing to America. The technical wrestling is also somewhat missing, as Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and obviously eddie Guerrero are all absent. In their place Kurt Angle (before being released from the company) and CM Punk have covered that aspect of ECW. There is still plenty of hard hitting action, with Sabu leaving people speechless with his arial assaults and weaponry skills. CM Punk brings in some martial arts action with stiff kicks, chops, and excruciating submission holds. While The Big Show dominates the scene in place of Rob Van Dam who was stripped of the title after being arrested for possession of marijuana, enough of the old ECW is present to get that nostalgic feeling and much of the new ECW is enjoyable and satisfying as well. Another good thing is that the storyline drama is kept to a minimum due to the lack of available time, therefore there is much more action than talk.
If you like action, athleticism, and adrenaline rushes, Extreme Championship Wrestling is for you. With the exception of the first episode, I have thoroughly enjoyed the new ECW and I look forward to it the most out of any wrestling show every week. ECW has proven that it’s still the real deal as it has consistently been the highest rated cable show on Tuesday nights and Sci-Fi recently announced that ECW had been picked up through 2007. If you are still not convinced that ECW is where it’s at, watch it for yourself and experience the rush of excitement. Enjoy.
