The hardcore ECW will be forgotten

[Blueshirt]

In my opinion, the original ECW will not be remembered for its hardocre nature in wrestling. While it is an interesting piece of wrestling history, the hadrcore wrestling, in my opinon, will not be rembered. There is a reason why Sabu, New Jack, Public Enemy, the hardest of the hardcore ECW wrestlers never were able to catch on in big promotions. That sort of hardcore wrestling was a fleeting moment in the overall history of wrestling. Whereas other superstars from ECW, such as RVD, the luchadores, and Benoit, Malenko and the like succeeded, while they could do the occasional hardcore spot, they all shared one thing in common, they could actually wrestle. There is a reason why ROH has a rabid fan base and CZW is on its last breath.

However, ECW will be remembered. It will be remembered for two important aspects.

First, it forced wrestling to grow up. Mature storylines and angles were inserted into ECW, a glaring difference between the garbage storylines that WWF and WCW were pushing at the time. The two companies collectively (really first WCW then WWF) decided that they needed to turn up the volume on their storylines. This has had a lasting effect. Even the watered down WWE that we have now is still miles away from the garbage that the WWF was putting out in the early to mid 90s. Without ECW, no WWF attitude, that much we can all agree on.

Second, the ECW caused a renaissance in the quality of the actual WRESTLING that was in both WWF and WCW. As I previously stated, it was the likes of the luchadores, RVD, and Malenko, Benoit, Jerry Lynn, The Franchise, that pushed the product of wrestling up to a higher level. Without ECW, there would be no ROH because fans would not be expecting a higher quality of product.

So, there is my opinion. The hardcore nature of ECW will be forgotten and the true legacy of ECW will be the injection of mature storylines and the actual wrestling presented. What do you guys think? Any actual steam behind this argument? Will hardcore wrestling rise again? Has it not actually gone away?

Thanks fellas.

 

[xXstraightedgeXx]

I like your point but i think it completely wrong.

ECW will always know for its hardcore bloody nature. The first thing that comes to everyones mind when they think about ECW is hardcore. I think your right about the really hardcore wrestlers not making it big in other promotions because without extreme rules they are no good.

 

[Nerf4]

i respect ur opinion but i believe u are ALL wrong! ECW's glory days was when they had harcore matches. i think that WWE bringing it bac in 06' was the begining a slow and painful decent to hell! it was good for a year, when the hardcoreness was still there, but then they slowly lost their hardcore ways and become generic crap, pantering to litle kids and freaks.

ECW will be remebered by how they made HARDCORE mainstream! if it wasent for em, WWE's version of hardcore would be a big blue steel cage.

 

[Syborgg]

I don't know if this is exactly on topic, but in my opinion Hardcore wrestling is only good to a point. I think that the guys like Benoit, Malenko, RVD, Eddie, etc. proved that when they went to WCW/WWE and thrived. Because they knew how to do more than just hit a guy with a barbed wire 2X4 or dive into a burning table. Don't get me wrong we all get entertained by the occasional HIAC match or last man standing or whatever, but to me, most of the greatest matches in history did NOT involve hardcore rules.

But on the topic of ECW. It all depends how you want to remember it as a fan of the industry. I personally was never a fan of ECW at all. I believe they had to resort to the hardcore stuff because they knew full well they couldn't compete with the production budgets of the 2 big companies. So really, I'll remember the hardcore, but I'll also remember them as the little wrestling company that couldn't get it done. I mean people are starving for TNA to escape the Impact Zone, but it's still bigger and better than the Hammerstein Ballroom. It's no wonder the better "wrestlers" ran to greener pastures at the first opportunity.

 

[DL23]

ECW was renegade, fans in the mid 90s were being treat like simpletons by WWF and WCW with some of the storylines and characters that we're protrayed, check WWF in 1995 some of the characters from then were just mind boggingly pathetic, but ECW had the more mature brand, they treat the fans with respect.

They had the more edgy, risky product, but as a whole it wasn't out there compared to WWF and WCW.

Now I'm not saying ECW was amazing, in truth it looked like indy fed, in theory it was, but what made it unique was that it had a cult like following, that lived and breathed ECW, and clung onto what it was about, and it was EXTREME, and the general fan looked down on WCW back in the day, but once it left, and the ECW guys started to show up on WWE TV they started to dig ECW because it was acknowledged on WWE TV as something gnarly and rad, which it was.

Now it's gone for good, people will consider ECWWE as the final product but it wasn't ECW died in January 2001, like WCW died in March 2001, WWE's versions were exactly that WWE NOT ECW or WCW they were just names then not a company.

I do believe hardcore wrestling has a place in the business however not like CZW, but in the sense of the WWF Hardcore division, to add another edge to the show, not a full blown hardcore company.

TNA has a lot of the hardcore guys, and could easily bring the extreme matches back every now and again, hell change the Global Championship to the Extreme Championship, and hopefully with the RVD's, Dudleys, Rhinos etc etc try and appeal to the old ECW fans to tune in to TNA's product just showcase hardcore matches between the old ecw guys to entice them.

ECW was a gnarly company and they'll NEVER be another company that will have such a HUGE impact on wrestling, and to be a wrestling fan back in the mid-late 90s was gnarly expirence.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Hardcore wrestling will never die. Taz even stated in an interview, that they weren't hardcore because of tables, and weapons, but they were hardcore, because everyone worked their ass on that show. Very good wrestling, and a lot of long exciting matches that got the fans pumped up.

The real question is, what do you call Hardcore? A lot of people will say TLC, or Hell in a Cell, but those are successful gimmick matches. When I hear hardcore, I think of the Iron Man Match with Bret and Shawn. Two men, who went an hour plus. Old School WCW, when those guys would wrestle 45 minute plus matches, and those weren't PPVs.

A lot of people think, that bloodshed and a ton of broken weapons is a sign of hardcore. Hardcore is what the fans decided it is. We had crappy matches with the label of Hardcore, and it sucked. Road Dog Jesse James isn't hardcore, Crash Holly isn't hardcore.

On a last note, it was really hard to be an ECW fan, because it rarely had a television time slot, and if you weren't at a live show, you really didn't understand the craze of ECW. In fact, ECW wasn't designed for TV or PPV. It is my opinion of it not being designed for TV, but look at it's history. It's top guys really weren't people you wanted to stand by. RVD had amazing skills, but he didn't get me into the company. The Sandman was cool, drinking beer, and hitting people with sticks, but, I didn't really think he was a hero. Professional Wrestling is a staged battle between good and evil. and Yes, ECW had heels, and faces, but not really heels and faces that got the wrestling fans involved. I got bummed out when the Rock got the beat down, and when I was young and Hogan got beat up, it scared me when Hogan got in serious trouble. With ECW, I didn't really get behind any of them, but the matches were just amazing.

 

[Decarow]

I like the post, and you make a lot of valid point, but I'm sure everybody has already made my point. In order to prevent spamming, I will make it anyways

ECW will be remembered for it's hardcore nature in general. That includes the matches AND the storylines. So you are half right. Sandman being crucified, the Mass Transit incident, Beulah kissing Kimona, FANS GETTING SET ON FIRE. People were pissed off because ECW didn't care about the status quo. But I think in the general public's mind (or casual viewer), ECW will be remembered for it's EXTREME nature.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

Ok. ECW will be remember due to the WWE Classics on Demands. The best wrestlers are the one that did all the moves. The Lucherdores only wrestle once a year. They did pick up some nice talent like Jerhico, Storm, Rey Mysterio, Eddy, and Malenko. But they all went to WCW.

WWE knew that these guys cannot last that long in doing high fly moves, that why they went for the bigger guys. The Bulldozer Bryan Lee, The Harris Twins, RVD and Rhino. These guys are what WWE needed. Fast guys that have a size.

ECW made Hardcore last longer then what it need to be, but it was only a fad like the 6 sided ring. I'm not from Mexico and I do not watch AAA wrestling all the time (love the big booty women in the mask). Hardcore wrestling is dead, but ECW will live because of the WWE on Demand. It will help them be remember for what they did in the past.

 

[WRESTLING_GENIUS]

ECW ECW ECW ECW should i say more, The Blood, the Invasion of Raw(in the90's), WWE(Jerry Lawler and Jake Roberts really) invading ECW, The 1 in a half year T.V Title run for Rob Van Dam and he still didnt lose the belt, everybody taking stars away from ECW like Rey Mysterio, Psicosis, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Raven, ECW making stars like Stone Cold,Mankind(Cactus Jack), Al Snow Head Gimmick, stars going to ECW lke Bam Bam Bigelow, Sid Justice, Chris Candido(Skip), Tammy Lynn Sytch(Sunny), Even Lita came from ECW, and just to prove my point for it being remembered for its hardcore extreme nature, THe Night all the fans threw there chiars in the Ring and BAlls Mahoney was under the rubbell afterwards, and the Scaffold Match between Tommy Dreamer and Sandman wit the Tables Stacked all in the ring and around ths Scallfold, these are just some moments i will remember being an ECW fan, and i was only 8 yrs old when i first read and heard about the product now im 23 so you do the math....... Long story short ECW will be remembered for its Extrmeme matches, Fans,Storylines, Bloodshed, Gimmicks, and much more that i cant say in this one blog...

 

[xXstraightedgeXx]

i respect ur opinion but i believe u are ALL wrong! ECW's glory days was when they had harcore matches. i think that WWE bringing it bac in 06' was the begining a slow and painful decent to hell! it was good for a year, when the hardcoreness was still there, but then they slowly lost their hardcore ways and become generic crap, pantering to litle kids and freaks.

ECW will be remebered by how they made HARDCORE mainstream! if it wasent for em, WWE's version of hardcore would be a big blue steel cage.

I don't think anyone should count wwe's version of ECW because they only used the name of ECW to make money off of it.

I love ECW but i think it's sad if it will only be remembered by the hardcore violence because it was more than just blood and guts.

 

[flocker]

Unless you watched it, or saw it live back in the day - you aren't allowed to have an opinion. Seriously.

If you listened to howard stern, today, on serius, you'd say, so what? But 15 years ago, what he did WITHOUT swearing was edgy, risky, EXTREME. Same thing with ecw. WHAT they did, 20 years ago was unbelievable. There was NOTHING like it in mainstream wrestling. Once it got big enough to make a national "holy shit" the big companies started raiding talent. But somehow Paul E kept it fresh and exciting right til the end. Honestly Heyman did almost as much to change wrestling as Bischoff or even the Vince. AND he did it with almost nothing but a F'n bingo hall.

Not to mention, the in ring talent did almost all the mundane work, too.

 

[sordidboySavoy]

yea i was 12 when i caught ecw on my local cable access channel at 1 in the morning. this was a few months before heatwave 98. i even met tommy dreamer and taz at major video here in new orleans where november to remember was held. ecw was badass in the eyes of my 12 year old self. like i understood everything goin on. my god francine accompanied me into my first journeys to the magic land of jacking off. it was so different the shirt commercials rvd 4 20 i just smoked your ass. good stuff. then seeing all the past event like born to be wired, stairway to hell on video. plus the dudleys were some asshole vicious riot starters. good times. this was when attitude era was picking up in wwe,but besides edge then and hbk who was hurt i didnt give a fuck bout wwf it was all ecw. too bad only one person i knew watched it too.

 

[Tastycles]

I think the influence of ECW on professional wrestling is greatly exaggerated. Sure, hardcore wrestling and the idea of cruiserweights probably did originate there in North America but that was neither a primary focus nor was it even a permanent addition elsewhere. ECW is credited for making wrestling breach adult themes, but I think WCW were already headed that way when the company was in its infancy, and the kinds of stuff they did on ECW were far more risque than those things on the major promotions.

ECW will be remembered for pnching above its weight, for producing an inordinate number of top drawer wrestlers and for being hardcore. It will also be remembered by the IWC as being the greatest wrestling promotion of all time, despite the fact it haemorraged money and its influence is exaggerated. If anyone remembers ECW, they will remember it for being hardcore because that was its distinguishing feature.