ECW: Fate of show revealed; John Cena-Batista footage teased
Tuesday night’s episode of ECW was a newsworthy one. First and foremost, WWE chairman Vince McMahon announced that the ECW brand was going away, which wasn’t a very well-kept secret. He said the show is going off the air in three weeks and a new WWE program will take over the time slot. He didn’t provide any specifics, only saying that the show will be “the next evolution of television history.” At least he’s not over-hyping it.
The new show will be called WWE NXT (as in next generation) and will feature young talent and fresh faces, according to a report on pwinsider.com that cited sources in WWE. It stands to reason that the roster will consist largely of developmental talent from Florida Championship Wrestling. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Bryan Danielson and Kaval (formerly known as Low Ki) were made the centerpieces of the show, even though they have both been wrestling for more than a decade.
I’m interested to hear how the demise of ECW – which debuted on SyFy in June 2006 – will affect ECW champion Christian. I would guess that he will end up on either Raw or Smackdown once WWE NXT premieres.
I like the idea of a show focusing on new talent, and while ECW did feature good wrestling a lot of the time, I won’t really miss it that much. Calling it ECW didn’t make sense anyway because it had virtually nothing to do with the original company of that name. The edgy content and hardcore style of wrestling that made the ECW of the 1990s so distinctive were absent in the new ECW, as the show looked like Raw and Smackdown, just with a lot fewer stars. And once talent from the old ECW such as Rob Van Dam, Paul Heyman, Sabu, The Sandman, Balls Mahoney and others were all gone – leaving Tommy Dreamer as the last man standing – it really was silly to keep using the ECW name and logo.
Also mentioned on Tuesday’s show was the fact that footage of what happened after Raw went off the air Monday night involving John Cena and Batista will be shown on Smackdown Friday night. The fans who chanted for Cena to make the save that night when Batista and McMahon were beating down Hart got their wish. That virtually guarantees a Hart-Cena vs. McMahon-Batista match at WrestleMania XXVI. Some have suggested that it will be a singles match between Cena and Batista, with Hart and McMahon in their respective corners. That’s a possibility, but I still think it will be a tag match. Yes, Hart and McMahon are physically limited as to what they can do in the ring, but I’m guessing they can do enough to work a tag match.
Other thoughts on Tuesday’s show:
Christian is really at the top of his game. He was entertaining on the mic during the Abraham Washington segment, and also had a good match with Zack Ryder in the main event. ...
Ezekiel Jackson got his heat back after losing to Christian at the Royal Rumble Sunday by laying out the ECW champ at the end of the show. Big Zeke is growing on me more and more. ...
I was surprised that Gregory Helms’ arrest was made into a story line. His mug shot was even shown on the big screen. ...
William Regal’s delivery was awesome when he asked Helms if he was having a tough week, and then said matter-of-factly, “It’s about to get worse.” Regal and Jackson then proceeded to destroy Helms. ...
It was funny when Ryder pie-faced Christian in a realistic-looking way, and then said, “Woo, woo, woo.” Could you imagine someone doing that in a real fight? ...
Tony Atlas’ shtick still makes me laugh out loud. I love how he takes shots at Washington and then does his laugh. ...
The finish to the Vance Archer-Shelton Benjamin match appeared to be botched. Archer got Benjamin into a pinning position and tried to use the ropes for leverage, but he did it in plain view of the referee and seemed to have trouble gaining his balance. Immediately after that spot, Archer took Benjamin down and pinned him with his feet on the ropes. That wasn’t much better, because Archer’s feet were still on the ropes when the referee looked up to call for the bell. There’s no way he could have missed it. Anyway, since Benjamin won their last encounter, I figured Archer would win to keep the program going. ...
Benjamin showed once again that his agility and athleticism are sick. The ease in which he dove over the top rope was very impressive. ...
There was a creative spot during Yoshi Tatsu’s win over Trent Barreta. Barreta hit a top rope hurricanrana, and Tatsu rolled through it almost like a sunset flip to get Barreta into a pinning position. Barreta, however, rolled through that and got Tatsu down for a two-count.
Comments
Ezekiel Jackson could use a really strong manager and a major push on one of the other shows. He actually seems to have skills and is MUCH more interesting than Sheamus (sp?). And having a kick-butt strong african american character is always good for wrestling and wwe. AND he's not a stereotype like cryme tyme or MVP.
I think he's more of a Ron Simmons type.
Posted by: David S. | February 3, 2010 9:19 PM
It's exciting to think that a TAG TEAM match will be one of the draws at this year's Wrestlemania.
Posted by: Cliff | February 3, 2010 10:28 PM
Kev quick question why do you think that Hart is gonna be in the match at mania when it is clear that he cannot take any blows to the head or anything really physical watching the last 2 raws he was on you could see it in Batista's eyes that he wanted to Batista Bomb him but knew that he couldn't and all Bret has been taking is shots to the gut and it looked like Vince was gonna slap him but then stopped and spit on him.
RESPONSE FROM KE: From what I understand, the plan has always been for Hart to be involved in a match. Obviously he is limited physically, but he won't need to do a whole lot in a tag match. I'm not sure Hart having a surrogate fight his battle for him is really all that intriguing.
Posted by: frank from dundalk | February 3, 2010 11:05 PM
Question: Where do you see the 'ECW mid-carders' (Regal/Kozlov/Goldust/Benjamin/Ryder) going if they go anywhere?
Also do guys like Tatsu, Baretta and Croft just stay on NXT and will people like Evan Bourne be relegated?
I'm curious to see how they're gonna put this together....will there be a "NXT champion"?
Posted by: eee | February 3, 2010 11:45 PM
David S. I agree. I hate having wrestlers of color portrayed as stereotypes. All the Asian wresters seem to fall in that category as well as Samoans. Umaga (R.I.P.) had to do the savage. Just let the guys wrestle.
I don't like Crime Tyme, but MVP's character is a little better as a cocky heel. I liked the VIP lounge a few years back. And being a HUGE Shelton Benjamin mark I am glad he doesn't do the stereotypical approach (especially the God-awful Momma thing) I do wish he'd get rid of the gold hair.
Posted by: Frank King | February 4, 2010 12:30 AM
As a certified mark for Bryan Danielson, I can't help but get excited for the fact that we may be three weeks from seeing The Best in the World!
Posted by: Bignasty247 | February 4, 2010 12:54 AM
You are spot on about ECW. It was ECW in name only. They could have just as easily called the show Velocity, WWE Tuesday or any other name. ECW was barbed wire, flaming tables and the occasional staple gun (a la New Jack). There was nothing extreme about this version of ECW.
Nonetheless, it was good that ECW found itself an identity as a venue to showcase new talent. WWE NXT is a logical extension of that direction. It will be like watching Triple A baseball.
Posted by: Aaron Goldstein | February 4, 2010 1:00 AM
That's why the term African American is almost nonsensical. Ezekiel Jackson is from Guyana -- in South America. How does that make him African American?
Posted by: Bob Buscaglia | February 4, 2010 1:24 AM
A good thing Vince has decided to end this version of ECW has it was a pale comparison to the orignal show and never should have started in the first place. Showcasing young talent is a good idea and finally Christian gets to be on one of the bigger shows as he was so wasted on ECW. It's a win win situation.
Posted by: Seamus | February 4, 2010 2:46 AM
Zeke isn't an African American. He's from Guyana.
Zack Ryder made me LOL when he said "Stand back! There's a criminal comin' through!"
Posted by: A.J.K. | February 4, 2010 7:42 AM
To counteract WWE NXT, Hogan has announced a new show TNA LST...as in the last generation of wrestling has beens & never wases. Oh wait, they already have that show...it's called Impact.
Posted by: Xelpzat | February 4, 2010 8:15 AM
Kev- I'm thinking at Wrestlemania you will see a Cena-Batista singles match with Hart and McMahon in there respective corners. With the stipulation being if Cena wins he gets 5 mins with McMahon alone in the ring and vice versa if Batista wins. Similar to the Hair vs. Hair match from a couple years ago.
Posted by: John from Arbutus | February 4, 2010 9:42 AM
ECW has not been ECW since it died in 2001. It has been boring matches, meek announcers, and to make matters worse, none of the hard core REAL wrestling that ECW was known for. Also, what is ECW without Paul Heyman, Taz, Sandman, or the Eliminators. The first one night stand was good, but the second having Rey Mysterio and Sandman get a DQ.....that was it. When they had the invasion, I thought that WWE did a HORRIBLE booking job with it and made ECW and WCW look inferior to WWE. And that was very disapointing. So, all in all, Vince may have funded ECW but he has no idea what a ECW match should be like.
Posted by: Peter | February 4, 2010 10:08 AM
I am all for a show to showcase up and coming new talent. It's a natural move to have a show where new talent can perfect their craft on a much smaller stage before being called up to the big two.
I remember watching a few OVW shows and found them more compeling than the regular two at times.
Personally, I love the idea of HBK/Bret Hart vs. Vince/Batista. I really like the idea of Cena vs. Undertaker but the question is 1)would they allow Cena to end the Undertaker's Mania winning streak which I think he should be the one to do it or 2)do they plan on him retiring with the streak in tact?
Posted by: Dale | February 4, 2010 10:54 AM
Ryder had the line of the night with "Stand back; there's a criminal coming through!" Will Zack be the heart and soul Superhero of Smackdown?
I hope the new show succeeds but I am afraid without major established stars it won’t get the ratings Syfy wants. That has been the problem. Whenever ECW has established or builds new stars (Big Show, Morrison, Miz, even Swagger and Bourne), WWE “drafts” them to the other shows. The only major star on right now is Christian.
Posted by: Charles | February 4, 2010 12:14 PM
I wonder if Edge will face Christian for the NXT title at WrestleMania? It'll be a good way to promote the new brand.
I'd much rather see that match than Edge vs Sheamus or vs Taker again. I really hope it's Edge vs Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title though.
Posted by: Andy | February 4, 2010 12:25 PM
I' ve been reading that former ECW talent like Taz and Dreamer have been blasting Vince for what he's done to the ECW brand and are upset that he hasn't given the brand it's due. How about the both of them and others blast Heyman for being a bad businessman, while Vince was fronting Paul money to keep ECW afloat? Or the ones like Taz, The Dudley's, Raven, Douglas and the others who took the money from the WWE or WCW and ran? Newsflash for them, "Extreme" or "Hardcore" wrestling ended almost 10 years ago with backyard wrestling. Giving those whose best talent (Dreamer, Sandman, Mikey Whipwreck and others) was bleeding or being slam through a table that was fire while having not much other in ring skill, their due is laughable. Some of them should look in the mirror and blame themselves for what ECW became.
Posted by: Common Sense | February 4, 2010 1:07 PM
I just hope that Abe Washington and Byron Saxton aren't a part of generation NXT.
Posted by: Elevation | February 4, 2010 1:37 PM
(Vince McMahon) didn't provide any specifics, only saying that the show will be "the next evolution of television history." At least he's not over-hyping it.
ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!! Thank you for pointing that out.
Posted by: Mr. Sarcasm | February 4, 2010 2:03 PM
I think that john Cena and Bret Hart are going to win
Posted by: Anonymous | February 4, 2010 2:29 PM
WWE NXT sounds like an exciting prospect, and will hopefully mean WWE won't repeat a Sheamus-style mega push! Do you think we'll see an NXT Championship on the show, and if so will they get the chance to open at PPVs?
Posted by: Andy | February 4, 2010 3:43 PM
David S.
You mean a young and/or APA Ron Simmons. Don't forget about the Nation of Domination's leader Farouq...
I like Zeke too (much better than Seamus), and I've always been a fan of Simmons wicked spine buster!
Posted by: Ballz Mahoney | February 4, 2010 6:11 PM
I disagree that Christian has been wasted on ECW. A six-month reign as the brand's champion doesn't seem like a waste to me. What was the alternative? Bumping HHH or Cena down the card so that he could main-event Raw? There wasn't much chance of that happening. I can't speak for Captain Charisma, but I would rather be the focal point of the least-watched show than a jobber to the stars on the most-watched. For Christian's sake - and the sake of anyone who enjoys his work - I hope that he ends up on Smackdown rather than the A show. One show has a ready-made storyline for him; the other has a United States Title run - if he is lucky.
Posted by: Christopher | February 4, 2010 7:13 PM
Anyone who actually thought that the WWE was gonna bring back ECW in any capacity reminiscent of its old hardcore direction is an absolute fool.
I wonder, are they gonna completely revamp the roster for the show? I imagine that they'd still keep around guys like Regal and Goldust to help give the younger talent some credibility. Christian needs to be moved though. There's really nothing left for him to do on the show.
Posted by: Loco | February 4, 2010 8:36 PM
Does that make 'Superstars' the C-show now and NXT will be the D-show?
Not that it really matters but just wondering whether a win on WGN America is more significant then a win on SciFi.
Posted by: eee | February 4, 2010 11:07 PM
When it was announced that Mr. McMahon was going to address the future of ECW I was expecting him to talk to Elijah Burke.
Posted by: johnk | February 5, 2010 7:37 AM
Kev, I know people say that Vince doesn't really pay attention to what TNA does, but with ECW turning into NXT, do you think that part of the decision to go that route could be a preemptive strike against Hogan's plans to have a reality-type, Tough Enough-esque show?
Posted by: Don | February 5, 2010 11:42 AM
Maybe the new show can do something to set itself apart from all other brands like have a 6-sided ring and emphasize wrestling ability. I wonder why nobody does that now.
Posted by: Jeff | February 5, 2010 11:43 AM
"When it was announced that Mr. McMahon was going to address the future of ECW I was expecting him to talk to Elijah Burke."
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That would be the pope to you!
Posted by: Bob Buscaglia | February 5, 2010 9:39 PM