ECW: The Death of Extreme and Rise of WWE

Ryan Sampson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:16:12 -0400

Am I the only one?

Am I the only one left who remembers the golden years of ECW? You know, back when extreme meant gluing shards of glass to your fists and replacing the ring ropes with barbed wire? <Sigh> Those were the days, weren't they?

Now when I watch ECW, instead of the old familiar rush I used to get, all I feel is sadness. Today, because ECW was bought out by WWE and became syndicated, the show is ruined. Now, the most extreme you get is maybe a chair, or perhaps a Kendo stick.

Blood? Oh God, no. That would scare the kids.

It wasn't all that long ago that you could watch ECW, and every match, someone would bleed profusely. Whether it was on purpose or not, someone bled. And the fans loved it! Hell, they even brought weapons for the performers to use on each other.

Now, the days of glory are gone. Nothing's left but ashes and regrets.

I could see the end coming for a long time. Once Big Show became ECW champion, I knew that it wouldn't be long until ECW gave its last breath and died.

Then Paul Heyman left, and for some reason, ECW lived on. Why? There's no such thing as ECW without Paul Heyman. ECW without Paul Heyman is WWE Raw Part II. Don't believe me? Tune in one day and watch.

All the old ECW mainstays are gone. Sabu, Sandman, RvD et al. Tommy Dreamer's still around, but for some reason, the WWE writers have turned him into a laughingstock. My heart cries when I watch him wrestle.

Now who do we have representing ECW?

Matt Hardy? Mark Henry? The Miz? John Morrison?

None of those guys, as talented as they are, belong in ECW. Why not? Well, because none of those guys have what it takes to make ECW extreme again. Those guys would do so much better on one of the other brands.

And don't get me started on brands and drafts. Sandman drafted to Raw? Bull.

So, why can't we bring ECW back? Because Vince McMahon wants his programs to appeal to the largest audience possible. And that means he has to make his programs available to everyone, on network television. And that also means, that he's going to make ECW just like his flagship, and most popular program, Raw.

Why? Because all wrestling fans want now is wrestling. They don't want to watch two guys beat each other half to death with lead pipes, they want to watch the "sexual tension" between Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix.

So, ECW is Raw. Raw is ECW. They're so alike that the only way I can tell a difference is time slot.

I miss old school ECW. I miss the men and women who made ECW a legend.

Maybe, just maybe, ECW will come back someday. If it does, you'll find me in the front row, holding a frying pan and chanting:

E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub!

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ECW: The Death of Extreme and Rise of WWE