Christian York and Joey Matthews worked for several as one half of a stable called the "Badtreet Boys" with fellow future professional wrestlers Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms. Less than 15 years after it shuttered, ECW already feels like it belongs to a long-lost era. The plan ultimately backfired on ECW when TNN finally did cancel the program...and ECW found themselves to be completely dried out of funds, sending the promotion into bankruptcy a year later. Nothing else punctuates that like ECW December to Dismember.Where did WWE go wrong? Friends, but not to the end, Paul Heyman and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. In a very sad story, it is being reported that WWE's ECW Brand will most likely end in early 2010. After that, they tried to get another TV deal, but couldn’t. ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling before the establishment of the brand. And New Jack, who still looks very much the same as he did in ECW — compact and grizzled, with his head always held high — is a living reminder of a wilder time. It is a shame that they were unable to continue this storyline, as it would have surely made for some interesting matchups for the gold. ECW and it's stars such as Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and many others were loved by many.EC... Why did ECW End? The premiere received a 2.79 rating, making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot. He feels eternally grateful that he was able to land an opportunity with an organization that is as respected as TheSportster so early in his writing career. From this point the Interim General Manager was named as Tiffany who took over as full-time General Manager on the June 30, 2009 episode. 3/12 this day in history: ecw films first ever tv taping, lesnar vs. OWENS, STEAMBOAT AND YOUNGBLOOD END SLAUGHTER AND KERNODLE'S REIGN OF TERROR AND MUCH, MUCH MORE By Mike Johnson on 2021-03-12 08:00:00 Breaking News: WWE's ECW Brand Set to Die in 2010. Former ECW owner Paul Heyman served as the on-air "ECW Representative" (a reference to how Heyman had been identified on Monday Night Raw back in 1997). For the promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001, see, Lost the position when Theodore Long was announced as his successor, Appointed as General Manager by the WWE Board of Directors. And when it comes to Paul Heyman, well, he had let others slip through the cracks. By Jamie Kennedy WWE. These did not originate in ECW, but this is where they caught on. Ironically, Heyman would later sign with WWE after the bankruptcy and the latter would end up buying ECW's assets from bankruptcy court two years later. The presentation and the promos and the storylines are the meat. While their rivalry may not have been peaking when ECW closed their doors, as RVD was only making rare appearances at that point because of all of the money he was owed by the company, it was still a highly entertaining one that never really reached a conclusion. [17] ECW moved back to 10:00PM Eastern/9:00PM Central on May 5, 2009. Opted to fully take over the position on ECW until the show's ending. "yeah, that's Stevie." ECW wasn’t a perfect company by any means. 6/10 (I would have given it a higher rating if the match was longer) 5) Mic Foley, Edge & Lita def Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer & Beulah - Good hardcore match, Mic Foley stole the show in this one. The WWE has been meeting with the SyFy Network the past few days about re-branding the show. Before joining WWE, Kurt Angle made an appearance at ECW back in 1996. Foreshadowing: The 3/25/98 episode of ECW Hardcore TV started with a promo from Rob Van Dam, Bill Alfonso, and Sabu about Bam Bam Bigelow defending the ECW World Television Championship against Sabu. Following December to Dismember, Heyman was relieved from both his on and off-air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment.[13]. That partnership ended when Jazz began feuding with Jason and beat him at Heat Wave 1999. [18] On the April 7 edition of ECW it was announced that Theodore Long was returning to SmackDown to fulfill the role of General Manager. It was later announced that the show would air its final episode on February 16, 2010. Team McIntyre six-man tag, awesome Bourne vs. Carlito match", "Hulu to stream full episodes of SmackDown, ECW", "The History of Extreme Championship Wrestling", "WWE Smackdown! While the title was exchanged multiple times in the companies final months (and the companies final main event), the feuding over the title seemed to be far from resolved before the company went bankrupt. The majority of that time comes from one … Not only did he destroy his opponents in the ring, but he would also terrorize his rivals during and after their matches as well. [30] On January 22, 2008, ECW began broadcasting in HD, along with a new HD set, which is shared among all three WWE brands.[31]. Jazz became a two-time WWE Women's Champion, winning … Nevertheless, their best matches were definitely fought when they were both in their prime with ECW. The … There's probably less than a dozen matches in the entire ECW run that I … While they are most known for their match at the 1999 Living Dangerously pay-per-view, which was one of the greatest bouts in ECW history, RVD and Jerry Lynn also shared one of the better rivalries in company history. Chetti favored Nova's opponent Chris Hamrick when he made his return as the special guest referee of their match at the final ECW pay-per-view Guilty as Charged in January 2001. However, that loyalty is put to the test when Hogan's boss suggests he take a job with a larger promotion, as the company is circling the drain and can't afford to keep running shows much longer -- a concept co-writer Raven is very familiar with, given the ultimate fate of ECW. Watch: Raven Makes His WWE Debut in 2000 How exactly did ECW AND WCW go out of business? ECW stars invaded Raw in 1997 and later that year Jerry "The King" Lawler showed up at ECW Wrestlepalooza. It's among the best weekly episodic TV wrestling shows ever produced, but the matches themselves are rarely any good at all. This was just a project that WWE should’ve scrapped and just made another brand. ECW shows were held in large arenas as a part of the taping schedules of WWE's other shows. And when it comes to Paul Heyman, well, he had let others slip through the cracks. On May 6, 2008, ECW celebrated its 100th episode on Sci Fi. In addition to being broadcast on Syfy, Mun2, and Universal HD in the United States, ECW was broadcast on a number of channels in many different countries. WWE ECW (also known as ECW on Sci-Fi and later ECW on Syfy, or simply ECW) is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by WWE, based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion that lasted from 1992 to 2001. This article is about the WWE television program. ... the distributor chose not to pay ECW because they figured it would be less expensive to go to court and end up having to pay pennies on the dollar than to wait for ECW to get a TV deal and pay them in full. The two began an entertaining feud thereafter, with Nova playing the role of the babyface and Chetti the heel. I love that style, Sabu and RVD put on great shows. The spot at the end did enough to make this match worth while. The promotion started in 1991 as a small regional promotion named Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, which based itself in Philadelphia; after it was sold to Tod Gordon in 1992, he renamed it "Eastern Championship Wrestling" and turned it into a member promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance. RELATED: 10 ECW Wrestlers We Can't Believe WWE Never Signed. No one would deny the commentary of one-time WWE lead announcer Jim Ross ranks as perhaps the greatest of all time, but… As opposed to the original promotion, match rules, such as count outs and disqualifications, were now standard. ECW: Memphis North? Long before Vince purchased all of ECW's assets, the two companies had a working relationship during the mid-to-late 1990s. Once TNN did finally drop ECW, its roster was so depleted, and Heyman was in such debt (hadn’t paid wrestlers in months and owed Shane Douglas $70,000 and owed RVD $300,000! 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A rising tide lifted all ships, and capsized two of them in the end. This is especially evident through kayfabe in other companies over the years following the end of ECW. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was a promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon.ECW closed when then owner Paul Heyman declared bankruptcy in April 2001. Tiffany served as "Assistant General Manager" from June 3, 2008 – April 7, 2009, Served as "Interim General Manager" from April 14, 2009 – June 23, 2009, after Long returned to SmackDown to become General Manager again. Rhino, who was one of the most hated wrestlers in the company's history, won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at ECWs final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged after beating the already exhausted Sandman. If you watched The Rise and Fall of ECW, you would have heard Tommy Dreamer say that Mike Awesome was under contract to ECW. While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on. The two men's paths once again crossed nearly a decade after ECW disbanded when they were both in TNA. 16. The show, drawing a 2.8 when it debuted in June 2006, lost half its audience by the end of the year and would never recover. One thing I regret about missing 20 years of wrestling 1990-2010 was the ECW. ECW - They got canceled in 2000 because TNN wanted RAW instead. On July 7, 2009, the Sci Fi Channel renamed itself to "Syfy", prompting WWE to rename the show ECW on Syfy to reflect the changes. Heyman took to social media to nominate the ECW audience. Fifteen-minute match challenge for a future ECW Championship match against Morrison. Seating comprised simple folding chairs and four sets of portable bleachers, and the whole sort of unconventional set up reflected the gritty style of the wrestling itself. The promotion started in 1991 as a small regional promotion named Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, which based itself in Philadelphia; after it was sold to Tod Gordon in 1992, he renamed it "Eastern Championship Wrestling" and turned it into a member promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance. WWECLASSICS.COM: He was toeing the line between being a good guy and bad guy. However, the show steadily began being produced following the same format of the other shows. [19] Anderson joined Paul Heyman’s Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1999 and stayed with the promotion till the bitter end. Rhino is credited as the final champion, which was reportedly done to enhance his credibility so he would get signed with another major promotion after ECWs folding, but it would have been a lot of fun to see who would have been able to dethrone the beast. Meanie joined ECW in '95 as Stevie Richards' flunky. [8] Sci Fi (now known as Syfy) is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of Raw and Smackdown. He did a lot with the little engine that could, Paul did a phenomenal job motivating. However, they slowly began to become more of a WWE show than prior, when they made the ring ropes silver instead of the black ones and when they went HD, put the WWE logo on the turnbuckles, and the WWE.COM advertising on the left and right side of the ring aprons and removed the ECW logo from the ring. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. What an alternative to the soap-opera’y WWE where characters like IRS Man, Brutus Beefcake and SGT Slaughter did silly vignettes and wrestled occasionally for more than 10 minutes. The bulk of ECW's shows remained at the ECW Arena, a former warehouse secluded under a section of Interstate 95. Nevertheless, it was arguably the biggest storyline that never came to fruition after the company closed its doors. 13 talking about this. ECW is a massive shell game. Aside from everything else other folks have mentioned, the dude was in his mid 30s at the height of his popularity with ECW. It may have hit too close to home for Heyman and the rest of the ECW faithful, and that could have been the reason it was not incorporated into any on-screen storylines. Nova defeated Chetti in a loser leaves town match at the 2000 November to Remember pay-per-view, but it was clear that there was much more left to unpack with this angle. The wrestling of WCW, the storytelling of WWE, and the culture of ECW coalesced into one giant movement. RELATED: 10 ECW Faces Who Acted Like Total Heels. And New Jack, who still looks very much the same as he did in ECW — compact and grizzled, with his head always held high — is a living reminder of a wilder time. ECW debuted on June 13, 2006, on Sci Fi in the United States and ran until its final episode on February 16, 2010, on the rebranded Syfy. The male performers were referred to "Extremists" instead of "Superstars" while female performers were called "Vixens" rather than Divas. Had he made his mark on ECW years earlier, he would surely be remembered far differently than he is today. Debuting on the strength of a pair of ECW reunion shows known as One Night Stand, the show was a ratings success to start, but quickly drew criticism for not staying true to the original ECW formula. Just look at Austin who learned to work in WCW, become a character in ECW, and tell a story in WWE. Paul did a good job of us vs. the world mentality. We knew what we wanted to get out of ECW, the library #1, and select talents #2. "Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith was later used to open ECW for the rest of the program's run. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. ECW moved to 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central on September 30, 2008. Share Share Tweet Email Comment. Oh, the reasons are numerous! The two teams had a budding rivalry before ECWs doors were closed, going head-to-head multiple times in the company's final weeks. RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Forgot Held The ECW Title. Instead, they received a watered-down version that did not exemplify the extreme style of wrestling and became much of a normal wrestling brand. They rose near the top of the division in the company's final months, but the company, unfortunately, closed their doors before they had a real chance to shine. ECW is a massive shell game. When Natster shows up, he fills us in on the previous night's MEWF results. The elephant in the room was a huge factor that lead to the demise of the company, as it would be impossible to be respected as a wrestling promotion without a major TV deal. The odd couple tag team of Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri (and their exceptional manager James Mitchell) quickly became a fan-favorite after their debut in late-2000. Later on, he appeared at the 2005 ECW (WWE) One Night Stand and then became a member of the ‘WWE ECW on ScyFy’ roster, but only wrestled 1 televised match on the show before being released in 2007. C.W. He did a lot with the little engine that could, Paul did a phenomenal job motivating. They won the title at the Massacre on 34th Street pay-per-view on December 3, 2000, and defended it multiple times over the companies final months. However back in the '90s, two names, even three were thrown out. RVD had become ECW’s most popular star in its final years, so it was somewhat fitting that he would end its final PPV. Sure, the thirteen-plus month tenure on The Nashville Network (“The only network whose corporate office is on wheels” – Joey Styles) didn’t end well, nor did it particularly go well. When ECW closed its operations, she moved on to WWE and debuted during the Invasion angle . If you watched The Rise and Fall of ECW, you would have heard Tommy Dreamer say that Mike Awesome was under contract to ECW. At ECW's launch, WWE.com introduced Hardcore Hangover, a video feature which allowed fans in the United States and Canada to stream or download video footage from the weekly show. His pairing with Tazz would be short-lived, and they would go their separate ways by the end of 2000 when Raven would move on to the Hardcore Division. [26] The show generally aired live on Tuesdays directly before — when touring the west coast — or after SmackDown was taped,[27][28] though it was also recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictated. WWE ECW (also known as ECW on Sci-Fi and later ECW on Syfy, or simply ECW) is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by WWE, based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion that lasted from 1992 to 2001. Posted by 2 years ago. This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction "old school" fans gave the main event of Batista vs. Big Show at the August 1, 2006 show from Hammerstein Ballroom, which often held original ECW events while it was a company. [7] Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by Sci Fi's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". They won the tag team titles very early in their run, but only held them for one day after relinquishing them to the Full Blooded Italians. Many fans by the end of ECW were left with a bad taste in their mouth as they hoped for a vintage version of the company they had fallen in love with. ECW would continue under Paul Heyman and would soon become the company that everyone says was the true spark of the ’90s wrestling revolution. Jerry Markarian is an avid sports fan who has had a passion for writing for as long as he can remember. He only defended the title twice, as the company held its final two shows within a week of the pay-per-view. While they may have been successful in each of their defenses, upstart tag team Hot Commodity was looking like they had what it took to dethrone the champs. 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