If you've happened to view any of my past columns you will understand that I am an utter novice of ECW's past. I doubt I can even name twenty wrestlers that appeared on ECW television. But when news came along that WWE was planning to turn the ventage ECW brand into a weekly television show, I must say that I was fairly pumped about the new addition. I always knew ECW to force wreckless abandonment down the views throats each week. I also knew ECW to be littered with watered down storylines and cheap presentation. Many may argue with me about the latter, though some will agree and say that the cheap, dirty feel made ECW the legendary company that it is today. There's no argument, however, that ECW took wrestling to the next level and will always have a place in wrestling history. I have also noticed that the ECW of the 90's resembles present day TNA in many ways. Both had agendas to change the current view of wrestling and to mold it to what they feel wrestling should be.
In the years of glam wrestling where pyro's and loud mouthed valets with thousand dollar suits fluttered into the 90's there was a brand of wrestling that sought to change the way wrestling was being taken in by mainstream society. While a growing WCW was littered with over-aged talent that were clearly past their prime and WWF was in its pre-Attitude phase, there was a small promotion named Eastern Championship Wrestling. The ringleader of early ECW was none other than Paul Heyman. Heyman was known as the Evil Genius for his ability to market wrestling in a way that was both daring and realistic, something WWF and WCW were unable to do most of the time. He also saw ECW as the wrestling equivalent to grunge music. During the times around the mid-90's grunge music became the most popular genre amongst teens because of its anarchic presence. The days of fifteen minute intros and feather boas seemed to deteriorate in popularity over time. That was not quality entertainment anymore. Wrestling fans were salivating for more. Shiny glitter and lavishing blonde hair only went so far. Heyman understood that. He knew that packing the idea of total destruction and anarchy into a downtown Philadelphia arena would spark something. He just didn't know what exactly it would spark.
ECW catered to a wide range of wrestling fans. They offered their niche brand of hardcore wrestling that were headlined by names such as Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Sabu, Tazz, Shane Douglas, and others. They also presented lucha libre, an international style rarely seen in the U.S. Soon names like Rey Mysterio, Jr., Psicosis, Konnan and Juventud Guerrera became modern names inside the wrestling community. ECW even had a well rounded group of technical specialists like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko. Paul Heyman knew that to get a promotion off the ground you need to present as many facets of wrestling as possible. Soon Eastern Championship Wrestling became known as Extreme Championship Wrestling (along with a break from NWA ownership.) ECW also began to garner widespread underground success with its Pay-Per-View releases and constant advertising in the Northeast U.S region. After around five years of constant production ECW finally established a television deal with TNN for a weekly telecast. Casual wrestling fans were starting to take notice of this small time promotion from Philadelphia.
There was no happy ending for ECW, however. Paul Heyman and TNN executives couldn't see eye to eye with one another since the beginning. TNN thought that ECW was constantly pushing boundaries that they didn't want the TNN name to be a part of. Brutality towards women and constant bloodshed were some of the many problems TNN had with the fledgling program. Even Heyman himself began to address the constant issues between him and the network management by using on-screen characters as metaphors for TNN officials and their negative behavior towards him and ECW. The three year contract between the two sides only ended up lasting a meager thirteen months and the small time promotion from Philadelphia were left to pick up the pieces. Not too long after their fallout with TNN, ECW was on its last legs financially and inevitably filed for bankruptcy. The once groundbreaking wrestling promotion was no more. With WCW also canned by Ted Turner and company, WWE was left wearing the crown of victory.
So what point am I getting at? Whats so different between the ECW of old and the TNA of new? Besides starting off as a NWA fronted organization they have many common aspects that may lead to TNA being hailed as a major competitor in the wrestling world. Yes, I know that this subject has been talked to death, but I have been in the middle ground of this debate for years. I had a fondness for TNA since they began airing their weekly shows on PPV years ago. They included an integral mix of fresh talents like A.J Styles, Sonny Siaki, Chris Sabin, along with proven heavyweight contenders like Raven, Sting, and Kevin Nash. TNA also established a business model of focusing the bulk of its programming on its cruiserweight division, something WWE has never done. Just like ECW and its hardcore style, TNA found a way to lure casual fans into viewing its programming by offering something that WWE has been lagging upon for decades. They even had way to market their product with a contract with Spike TV. But is all that enough for TNA to stay in the red; something a once promising ECW failed to do?
What mainly sent ECW to the poor house was that they had no television sponsorship after TNN dismissed them. Heyman had no other means of income other than selling out their arenas. He also owed mass amounts of money to many of the wrestlers contracted by ECW. I don't see that happening with TNA though. Spike TV/TNN has collected and dumped many wrestling programs over the years. The only program they haven't supported was WCW. But I think TNA can establish a home while on Spike TV. TNA Impact has already been upgraded from a Saturday timeslot to a Thursday timeslot. Spike TV also owns rights to TNA's commercial revenue. TNA has been smart with their contract signings too. Big name stars such as Sting, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner have only accepted short term deals during their tenure with the company. That leaves TNA available to sign many other wrestlers to contracts as well without having to worry about going over budget.
The only major problem I have with TNA is how they sell their wrestlers as a whole. ECW was known for having the majority of their talent home grown. TNA, on the other hand, has ties with many wrestlers that were released from WWE. Even while in the WWE, many of those wrestlers were only mid-card talent. Guys such as Christian, Rhyno, and Raven were hardly used to their full degree with WWE, yet are being billed as main event stars with TNA. I'm not saying that quality wrestlers such as Raven don't have talent, but when half of your roster includes WWE rejects, it sets a negative view on your brand. Why not have more A.J Styles in the organization? ECW never had past WWF wrestlers being their top attractions. They made stars out of no-names like Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, and Steve Corino. It's great to see Sting and Raven still get air time, but we already know their gimmicks. There needs to be more flavor for TNA to succeed.
I believe that TNA has a legitimate chance to be fairly successful. They have a quality amount of wrestlers available and have been using them with moderate acclaim from the wrestling diehards. Only time will tell if this brand can sink in with the casual action fans. This certainly isn't the golden age of wrestling. WWE has tainted the sport into a coma for the past five years without much of a chance for it to wake up anytime soon. Hopefully there will be a bright spot for TNA though.
Thanks for viewing this edition of ...ATWIT! I have an idea for another column in the coming weeks so keep an eye for that soon. Again, thanks for reading and...And Thats What I Think!
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