I figured I'd throw this out there for a topic of discussion. How do you feel that ECW's return will effect the current independent scene? Do you think that companies like ROH, PWG, IWA-MS, CZW, etc will be hurt by this?

Not at all. ECW is still WWE, and will basically be one of their weekend shows with an "exclusive" roster of has-beens and unknowns called up from OVW, and judging by the majority of people WWE calls up, there'll be a large supply of hosses.

This is true, but it's also been noted that the WWE is looking at CZW and ROH talent for possible roster additions.

Hmm...

I really wouldn't know how to argue that point other than "maybe the guys they're looking for won't sign with WWE", but money and fame talks in most cases.

Money signs a lot of guys. Most people would rather job week-after-week to get a better pay check and have a better sense of job security (even if it is only for a year in some cases) than to be top on the card for an indy wheer you're not sure if your going to have a spot week after week.

(Again, I say a lot guys. I know Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, for example, turned down WWE out of principle.)

Styles turned down a shit offer 4 years ago.

But he turned down working for WWE nonetheless.

He turned them down because the money was shit. Watch on the road w/AJ Styles. He mentions that if the money was right, he'd go.

No, they won't sign anyone really in demand on the indy circuit these days. TNA is still the biggest threat to the indy scene.

IIRC, the offer was $400-500 a week. Really, do you blame him for turning that down? :)

No way. ECW is going to take some time, money, and struggling to get established, and even then I don't see it directly effecting more than a couple feds.

And really, all ECW is doing is removing dead weight from a lot of indy feds.

I was just thinking... has WWE found a cash-cow we haven't heard of? Last year they cut 15 people because of budget, now they signed some of them back, and are bringing in a bunch of people for a 3rd brand.

Not really. Vince is seriously paranoid right now and several of the recent signings like Test have been because he might've gone to TNA. Plus they've released like 40-60 people over the last couple of years.

I read that the resigning of Test and the other midcard guys was because Johnny Ace was given the go to sign some non-roided stable midcarders

Also I heard Mark Henry was given a contract extension worth $300,000 for 1 year, so Vince must have save a lot of money firing guys who make the least in the company like Jimmy Yang, Spike Dudley, Gangrel, Charlie Haas, and others.


Oh yeah, and Yang is re-signed too. :P

You mean the post I made yesterday?

I never saw your post, so kiss my grits.