|
/wrestling /guests /Turner |
|
|
/wrestling /guests /Turner |
| Guest Columns | Brian Turner |
MainBLAH |
ECW SHOULD HIRE EVERYONE! With WCW making even more cuts, a great deal of discussion lately has been focused on "who ECW should pick up". What's really funny is that the people begging Heyman to "Bring back the Sandman!", or "Buy up all the luchadors!", are missing the fact that this precise line of thought is a big part of the problem that WCW sucks ever so badly. WCW took the view that every performer who had ever drawn numbers would do exactly the same for them. Makes sense, I guess. And yet, there they are in Atlanta, sucking. This is not going to be a WCW bashing rant. I've promised myself I wouldn't do that. I mean, sure, they suck and all, but it really doesn't need to be said again. SID FUCKING LOST! HE LOST GOD DAMN IT! AND HOW CAN SID RUN IN ON A MATCH REFEREED BY CHARLES ROBINSON?!?! DO THEY NOT EVEN THINK?!?! I'm sorry. I was holding that back, and it just sort of bubbled up on me. I'm better now. OK. That out of my system, let's discuss the topic at hand, ECW buying up every wrestler ever and then becoming bigger than US Steel (Please, God - let someone get that reference...). First off - the Returning Wrestlers. OK. Let's get it out on the table. The Sandman. I'm not going to get into the "he-said, she-said" about animosity between Jim and Paul. If it's right for business, it will be made to happen. However, Jim is locked up, and intends to honor his contract. But let's play what-if, shall we? The Sandman, while beloved by the faithful, has been "eh" in WCW. He was emerging, but got hurt. Again. The Sandman is damaged goods. Mainstream fans seeing Raven return see a former US Champ, with excellent ring and mic skills, and this gives ECW credibility. Seeing "Hak" (Eeeew. I have to wash my hands now that I've typed it.) return to ECW would, in the mainstream audiences eyes, be the equivalent of Scotty Riggs jumping ship. No one would care! ECW has a roster full of talent that will be injected into the mix soon enough. No real need exists for another older brawler right now. Same thing for Mikey Whipwreck. What does he bring to the ECW table that isn't already at Paul E's fingertips? With regard to the luchadors, ECW has made a stride toward working the Japanese style. An excellent move, and one that will offer the action and theater of the Mexican style, while incorporating the hardcore brawling style made famous in Philly. To this end, bringing in a quantity of luchadors would serve to homogenize ECW's product with the Mexican influenced WCW and WWF, removing one of the finest distinctions they hold. Additionally, the luchadors have, again, been damaged through their association with WCW. A match featuring Damien and Ciclope, regardless of their respective skills, has the marquee value of paint drying. The only way to counter this would be to rename and repackage them. If this is going to be done, why not simply find new luchadors? As WCW has shown, former greatness, or even current talent, isn't a guarantee of current success. ECW's TV format is such that not a large number of wrestlers is required. Three matches per week gives them a long, long time to fully exploit the roster they have in hand for the new arrivals. It also leaves some depths to be explored by Hardcore TV. While we sentimentally would like to see all of our old favorites return, we have to keep our eye on the fallout from a bloated, name heavy roster in WCW. Talent that isn't pushed, talent that is improperly utilized, BULLSHIT NO TALENT HACKS LIKE HOGAN BEING PUSHED TO THE MOON SIMPLY TO APPEASE THE EGO OF A SUPERSTAR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EUTHANIZED YEARS AGO. You get the point. ECW is the best because they understand what it takes to generate interest. What chance would Steve Corino have had if another 4-5 wrestlers needed to do weekly promos and spend time in the ring over the last 3 months? Before we rail on about getting The Sandman, Mikey, or even The Dudleyz (Yes, some idiot out there thinks that we should start a petition to get the Dudleyz back. They've run their string in ECW, they're making more money, and will be phenomenal stars. But this jerkoff thinks a petition is going to get them back in ECW where they'll just pick up where they left off. Where they left off is having beat EVERYONE!), think about a few things like (a) How badly tarnished are they after their stint in WCW and (b) How much TV time does ECW actually have to promote their wrestlers. ECW is going places. And they're going to do it with more-or-less their current roster. Which should be an absolutely amazing thing to watch. That two geniuses of showmanship like McMahon and Heyman should be able to work their craft separately and successfully, competing without trying to destroy each other (a lesson which could be learned by some down south) is going to produce such great treats for us down the road. I can't wait! Brian Turner [slash] wrestling Mail the Author |
BLAH |
Main |
||