ECW Faction = Abyss' "They"? Can We Bring The Band Back?

Last Thursday Night we were treated to an Abyss heel turn, which is refreshing since most of us want heel Abyss anyway. I can't help but feel nervous, however, about the idea that Tommy Dreamer and his ECW friends are the "They" that Abyss is referring to. 

This isn't some conspiracy theory. The ECW crew showed up during Thursday's main event of Abyss vs. Mr. Anderson. If Taz's commentary means anything and is more than just mindless rants, they are already showing heel tendencies. Taz noted that Dreamer had not returned his calls. 

I'm still trying to figure out what good this faction could possibly do. Dreamer still has some gas left in his tank, but no more than any other person on the roster. The rest of the gang is pretty much the same. 

This looks like Main Event Mafia Part 2, except for one huge problem.

The Main Event Mafia featured guys like Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Kevin Nash who have plenty of WWE world titles between them. Sting's qualifications speak for themselves. In Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe, and you have a star powered faction who can all still wrestle. 

Strip all the qualifications that justified the MEM's title reigns and you have an ECW faction. 

Tommy Dreamer has one world title with WWE, the ECW belt that few recognize as an actual world title. Beyond Raven's two ECW titles, the main event caliber talent falls considerably. It remains to be seen if TNA champion Rob Van Dam will join the faction. Obviously that would raise their stock but nowhere near what the MEM had. 

I'm also confused as to why these guys are here in the first place, from a story line perspective. If they are going to be heels, than why are they aligning themselves with Abyss, who is mentally unstable, when they could join up with Sting. Sting has plenty of beef with TNA right now as his feud with Jeff Jarrett escalates. 

If Abyss is being brought in to take the bumps of these old veterans (I erased the word star because it's too debatable), then I'd rather have The Band back. Hall is actually funny, as is Sean Waltman. I could see myself rooting for them. These guys, not so much. 

People seem to forget that ECW was nowhere near close to WCW in terms of popularity. It was a small cult thing that hasn't been around for ten years. 

I've read in articles that people are saying this faction will appeal to fans of ECW who may not be familiar with TNA. I have just one word for that.

No. 

TNA came around the year after ECW folded. It's not like these fans of ECW went into hibernation for a decade until Tommy Dreamer's arrival summoned them to the Impact Zone. Most of them have seen the product and are either watching it or have given up on it years ago. 

Bringing the old stars back won't lure the old fans back. Is anyone dying to see Ric Flair back in the ring? Is there really much of a difference? 

When Taz made his debut into TNA, a loud ECW chant started. That was a quick way to win Taz over with the fans, but it's not something that I want to hear on a regular basis.

WWE beat WCW in the 90's with new fresh talent. They didn't go to war with WCW and feature Bob Orton vs. The Honky Tonk Man in the main event. 

TNA seems to be keen on copying the WWE. Here's an idea: mimic their success, not their mistakes.