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| In a breaking story, PWInsider.com's Dave Scherer is reporting that World Wrestling Entertainment is planning to bring Extreme Championship Wrestling back full-time as its own promotion. According to the online report, ECW -- which WWE brought back last year as a "one-time only" Pay Per View, which is being repeated this year due to the success of the event -- has begun talking with former ECW talent about returning. WWE is targeting September for the comeback, although details are still murky at this point. Tommy Dreamer -- currently in the talent relations department at WWE -- and Paul Heyman -- currently booking television for WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling -- would likely be booking ECW when the promotion starts back up. One possibility is that ECW will take over OVW, while another is that ECW would get matches on RAW or Smackdown, or maybe elsewhere. PWInsider.com has confirmed that The Sandman, Francine and Balls Mahoney among others have been reached out to, and that contracts are being sent to them this week. The contracts will be three-year deals with "a series of one year contracts, with rollover clauses." Bringing back ECW, and putting Paul Heyman in charge of the booking, could have come into play during Heyman's contract renewal, as he had been working on a short contract since his longer-term agreement expired earlier this year. Talk on the Internet and in the wrestling industry newsletters included quite a bit of speculation that Heyman had been looking into opportunities outside of WWE, including everything from TV to starting a shoot-fighting group, and that even though he hasn't gotten along with Stephanie McMahon and others at WWE, the company realized his value in certain roles as well as the preference of keeping him from leaving and potentially working for the competition. ECW went out of business in early 2001, and was soon purchased by WWE, who brought the brand back first as part of the WCW "invasion" angle in 2001 (with Stephanie as storyline owner), and then last June for the "One Night Stand" PPV. The success of that event, three DVD releases and -- to some people -- surprising sustenance of the ECW brand has led to quite a bit of speculation about ECW's future. Rob Van Dam is expected to cash in his "Money in the Bank" WWE title shot at this year's One Night Stand, being held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on June 11, on a card that will include Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Dreamer, Sandman and more. We'll have more on this as it unfolds. |
| QUOTE (Princess Leena @ Apr 24 2006, 12:10 AM) |
| The thing is that it would never be an alternative. No matter how much they make the show to look like ECW... it will be run by WWE. Which means it would be a glorified Heat/Velocity, with more hardcore matches. |
| QUOTE (Scrooge McSuck @ Apr 24 2006, 12:13 AM) |
| It never made ECW cash, and they were in business for 8 years. |
| QUOTE (Scrooge McSuck @ Apr 24 2006, 12:18 AM) |
| How about the WBF? That tanked pretty bad, too. |
| QUOTE |
| - Paul Heyman is in Stamford for ECW meetings, therefore won't be at tonight's OVW TV tapings. He wrote the show, but Al Snow ran the morning production meeting and told OVW that Heyman will be back in Louisville in time for next week's tapings. - In another OVW note, since Brent Albright (Gunner Smith) was booked for the rest of the European tour due to Palmer Canon flying home unexpectedly, tonight's planned strap match vs. CM Punk will likely not happen. - USA Network will be running a "WWE vs. ECW Head to Head" special during the week of the ECW One Night Stand PPV, with the former June 7 Smackdown tapings in Dayton, OH, likely instead being used for the special (this event is now listed as a "RAW Live" event on WWE.com, with tickets on sale May 6). According to PWInsider.com, the USA Network's Web site lists 9-11pm as "to be announced," so the WWE/ECW special may run live or on tape delay at that time. - The 2am replay of "AM RAW" on USA Network is now listed as "to be announced" on the USA Network Web site throughout June. There has been speculation that ECW may be getting that TV slot for a weekly program. - PWInsider.com is also reporting that WWE is in negotiations with the former ECW Arena to book the venue for a June 24 show. Credit: PWInsider.com |
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| VELOCITY CANCELLED! ECW TO TAKE ITS PLACE! At the end of some meetings on Thursday, Vince McMahon decided that ECW will be taking the place of WWE Velocity. For the time being, an ECW show will be taped prior to Smackdown every Tuesday. The ECW program will air on WWE.com (or probably actually ECW.com) for the time being, at least until it lands a time slot on U.S. television. WWE are currently in negotiations in an attempt to get ECW programming on U.S. television. At the present moment, Velocity would cease to exist. This television programming move must be devastating news to the likes of The Gymini, Orlando Jordan, Scotty 2 Hotty and Sylvan. These wrestlers generally only compete on Velocity for the most part, not to mention that they don't have any ties to ECW. However, WWE are looking to regularly run some ECW shows at some 2,000-6,000 seat arenas in smaller markets starting in July, especially in the Northeast. Velocity would probably be brought back if and when the ECW tapings are held at the smaller arenas. WWE plans on launching the ECW brand a few weeks after ECW One Night Stand takes place. WWE are looking to run an ECW event at the old "ECW Arena" (New Alhambra Sports and Entertainment Complex) on Saturday, June 24th. sources: Wrestling Observer, Pro Wrestling Torch |