What if these guys stayed in ECW?

[quink987]

What if Bam Bam, Taz and Shane Douglas stayed instead of in 1998-1999 do you think they could of prolonged ECW's lifespan? And kept them on a secure Network?

 

[MC_Live]

Honestly, them staying may have exacerbated the problem. ECW just ran out of money in the end. If they would have kept Taz, Bam Bam, and Douglas, it probably would have just been a higher price to pay. When they got kicked off of TNN, it was because TNN wanted RAW. Unless Stone Cold and The Rock defected to ECW, I don't think anybody would have kept ECW on TNN. At that point, all was lost. No TV, no money, no cause for anyone else to pick ECW up. I believe ECW was going to fall in 2001, regardless of who was on the roster.

 

[boozinjedi]

it would've shown incredible loyalty if they stayed,BUT it also would've shown incredible stupidity!!
I still love me my old ECW,Paul put on some amazing matches,cut incredible promos.....but he couldn't balance a checkbook to save his ass!!

 

[FromGlasgow]

I think they did get a lot of guys over only for them to leave for WCW or WWE, I do think Mike Awesome especially was a huge loss for them at the time I remember the guy being really over as the ECW heavyweight champion and ECW appeared push like nobody else before only for him to leave for WCW to basically become a well paid jobber, A lot of dream matches that never happened imagine Awesome vs RVD or Jerry Lynn for example around that era for the world title, Al Snow is another one to add to that list remembering seeing a whole arena full of styrofoam heads ive never seen anything like that again since he was huge in ECW then he left shortly afterwards for the WWE, Both guys I feel would of had great potential staying in ECW benefiting themselves and also ECW and both guys seemed to leave right at the tip of them getting over.

 

[rmp0012002]

I think they did get a lot of guys over only for them to leave for WCW or WWE, I do think Mike Awesome especially was a huge loss for them at the time I remember the guy being really over as the ECW heavyweight champion and ECW appeared push like nobody else before only for him to leave for WCW to basically become a well paid jobber, A lot of dream matches that never happened imagine Awesome vs RVD or Jerry Lynn for example around that era for the world title, Al Snow is another one to add to that list remembering seeing a whole arena full of styrofoam heads ive never seen anything like that again since he was huge in ECW then he left shortly afterwards for the WWE, Both guys I feel would of had great potential staying in ECW benefiting themselves and also ECW and both guys seemed to leave right at the tip of them getting over.

Paul's checks were bouncing so loyalty meant nothing as even Vince helping with talent and some funding wasnt going to save them. They just didn't grow big enough and Fast enough to handle the debt they had taken on. I always thought Snow was great, the guy had so much talent and could wrestle any style but other than Head and the Job Squad he never got that bigger push. Al was actually on loan from Vince to ECW so Al didn't bail to the WWF. I did get to see Al on an ECW card in NJ in '98, he fought Droz. Won with the Snowplow, loved that move.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Nothing would've helped because ECW was flat out of money as Paul Heyman's checks were bouncing more than a strippers knockers, so why would they have stayed? Paul Heyman might have a lot of interesting creative ideas but the guy was a lousy businessman. I remember reading several years back that Heyman owed Taz in excess of $100,000 when he left ECW and when he wasn't bullshitting the talent, he was dodging creditors.

Loyalty is a fine thing, don't misunderstand me, but the mortgage, electric and phone companies couldn't care less about loyalty when it comes to getting their monthly payments from you. Loyalty doesn't put food on the table or clothes on your back and loyalty has to be fairly compensated.

 

[whoopin' ass]

No talent would have helped keep ECW alive. The problem wasn't lack of talent, it was lack of funds. By all accounts, they just didn't have the funds available to keep ECW running. I can't say them staying would have made things worse as a lot of talent worked without getting paid so I can't see them being any different. And unfortunately, none of them had enough name value to help them get a decent tv deal. Look at WCW and WWF at the time - Rock, Austin, Hogan, Savage. These were names the general public knew. ECW didn't have that. If they had someone like a Ted Turner funding them, then it wouldn't have mattered as the funds would have been there. If they had that one really breakout star, they might have been able to arrange something but with neither, their time just ran out.

 

[Papa Pillman]

What if Bam Bam, Taz and Shane Douglas stayed instead of in 1998-1999 do you think they could of prolonged ECW's lifespan? And kept them on a secure Network?

I would actually say that looking solely at departures that occurred over the final 30 months or so of the original ECW, that the losses of the Dudleyz, Lance Storm, and Mike Awesome were all more damaging when they happened than the losses of Douglas and Bigelow were.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

If we ignore the state of the ECW finances in it's later years, the actual issue with ECW is that they couldn't hold onto former WCW/ WWF midcarders as they transitioned across in their formative years. Names like Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Brian Pillman, Steiner Brothers, Ron Simmons, British Bulldog, Williams & Gordy all passed through their doors - had they held onto these known superstars and then created the alumni we still know today as well... Who knows, maybe 'Attitude' might never have reached Titan Towers and TNN would have found Heyman's company the more appealing...

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

If I understand it correctly, ECW was just as popular as ever when it closed it's doors in 2001- the live shows were selling out, the merchandise was selling well and the issue was they just couldn't get on a Network, and the PPV companies were not paying them their money from the recent show, until they put on their next show. This was a big issue as ECW needed the money from the last PPV IN ORDER TO put on the next PPV.

With the costs of having to do PPVs, and with the shitty network deal they had, they just couldn't afford to run the company any more. To exist they needed to get on another network as TNN threw them off once they bought the rights to RAW IS WAR, leaving ECW running out of money.

I don't think Shane, Taz or Bigelow would have made much difference, as they weren't big enough names to persuafe TNN to keep ECW on their network, and their salaries would have been 3 of the highest ECW paid out, so the company would have ended up in the same amount of debt, only quicker.

 

[mral82]

It wouldn't have mattered if them 3 or anybody stayed as even Vince McMahon or Ted Turner whom both helped out ECW Finacially from 1994-2001 at various times and still failed cause like others have Stated and even on the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD and various Books Paul was a Creative Genius but sucked at Running the money side of the Biz as that's why there was many ECW guys going to the WWF and WCW. Plus the "Attitude" ERA started in ECW but the WWF and WCW just jumped on their bandwagons. 2 of the most ******ed names that were switched from ECW to WCW/WWF was Al Snow became Leif Cassidy and The Sandman became Hardcore Hak wtf?

 

[rmp0012002]

Paul was a great creative mind but terrible on the business end. ECW was still popular at the end but guys were working for nothing and youre waiting for the one deal to come in to pay for the next deal its a bad sign. Paul owed RVD $150k when the company folded as he did others and I believe Paul got Vince to take guys like RVD, Taz and Dreamer to pay off what he owed them. RVD just happened to become a star again like he was in ECW.