Guest Dazed Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 ECW's ratings at the end, were like this. They pulled in an average of about a 1.0. Heyman attributes the poor ratings on TNN not giving them the freedom they'd relied on over the previous four years, and censoring the product (not allowing wrestlers to "hate" each other), and also on the lack of promotion from TNN. Had TNN understood that they were signing ECW and not just W, then things could have been different. Velocity ratings. This year, it PEAKED at a 0.7, getting around 0.4-0.5 quite consistently. I have no idea what network Velocity is on, but WWE have managed to fuck things up with UPN, TNN and MTV, so I can't see it being difficult for them to get a late night slot on a poor drawing TV show. So really, with Velocity being dead on its ass, they may as well try something new with the timeslot. ECW has name value, can still draw, is different enough from the WWE product and gives guys like Tommy Dreamer and Stevie Richards a chance to stand out. Hell, the guys are on there every week anyway, why not build storylines around the show and mix it up? Maybe not using the ECW name is a good idea - keep the WWE brand strong or something. Thoughts? Is it worthwhile doing so? I'm not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 I think WCW had the best television model in existence prior to the Monday Night Wars, and I think WWE would be best served to follow it. Yeah, Saturday nights on TBS were always the A game, but they didn't treat any shows like they were unimportant. That frame of mind is a byproduct of the Monday Night Wars, because that's when both companies started putting all their effort into their flagship shows and totally neglecting everything else. All the top stars should be on Velocity. Not necessarily every week and not even advancing storylines constantly, but no one should be "above" working any show. If the company doesn't care about it, why should the fans? As for ECW, I think if it became a regular feature, it would be run into the ground and get very old, very fast, and politically, since Stephanie hates Paul Heyman, she'd try to tweak it, they'd have to interact with each other, and she'd end up lobbying for him to get fired. She's basically the big reason he doesn't have a lot of power in that company right now, because she despises him. I'm not interested in an ECW not run by Heyman at all. I'm glad the show got a huge buyrate, but I think the lesson to take from that show is just how loyal you can get a fanbase to be over the long haul if you're good to them. With WWE on a larger scale, theoretically, that same philosophy would work just the same and make them beaucoups of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kevin Cook Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 ECW is dead, and Heyman isn't a good booker. A new show featuring washed-up fat wrestlers and dreadful, laborious "shoot" promos by Heyman would be completely unwatchable. That said, I think ECW should be resurrected under a new booker and given a viable time slot. The key would be to not dredge up all the old stars but create new ones. Instead of rolling out Rey and Psicosis, for instance, bring in Mistico and Averno and let them do their thing at a big show. For the regular crew, pick out some of the underutilized guys like Rob Conway and the cruisers and bring in guys like Joe and Punk. Mix in some vets, give the book to pretty much anyone with a few good ideas so long as it isn't Heyman, and it will do fine. The key isn't nostalgia, but creating a real counter to the formulaic nonsense that's pumped out on Mondays and Thursdays. That's the lesson to take away from One Night Stand, though I'd bet a lot of money no one will take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 14, 2005 Report Share Posted June 14, 2005 Are there any unclaimed bookers out there that could pull it off? I'm tempted to say Kevin Sullivan could, and I'm almost regretting that as I say it, but that kind of environment would play to his strengths as a booker. Jimmy Hart may also be a good choice. What was the guy's name who was supposed to be coming in to book for WCW before they shut down -- John Muse, I think ... he's supposed to have a fantastic wrestling mind. I guess there are people out there who could do it. The key would be finding the right editor or filter person, although I don't know who that would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 I'm an unclaimed booker! No, seriously... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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