I didn’t get a copy of the show till 1:00am (and that was in a wacky WinAmp format of all things – a good avi didn’t get downloaded till later), but I steadfastly stayed away from wrestling sites and such so I wouldn’t be tipped off.
That meant I had no idea about the seemingly universal reaction to the show till I finished around about 3AM (lovely hobby I’ve got here). I’d like to think the posts I made around 3:30 were some fading sugar rush from the Mountain Dew I was drinking to stay awake, but really, it felt like complete vindication for hating the Versus show.
I think a lot of people gave that show a break, and figuring the content of that show was because it was still a WWE, and once the ECW label was the only one the show, things would change. That show instead convinced me that ECW was just going to be a third brand (and “ECW” because that draws better then “Heat”), and that’s what was presented tonight.
Still, I knew this one was messed up the moment they started
ECW Open: sudden violence (recall the flaming table spot to start TNN?) and/or people already in the ring and ECW being chanted, angle, then the open
WWE Open: Clips of what happened last as heat up, open, introduction
The moment you didn’t see Paul Heyman or Rob Van Dam already standing in the center of the ring, you should’ve known.
It is kinda mystifying how things got screwed up. Looking at SmackDown’s rating and RAW’s recent single brand PPVs (and what the guy on the Motley Fool keeps saying), it’s not a great time in the market to be starting a third brand. There isn’t really a demand for a third version of the same thing right now and I’m sure WWE would’ve said the same thing six months ago – but that’s where we’ve ended up.
It’s not even the toned down aspects which are a problem – they’re doing this like it’s nWo Nitro; a stable with no particular intra-strife taking over, and feuding with people who should be on other shows. You could make a case that Big Show’s a heel (but he’s really just been pushed as “angry”) and maybe Kurt’s a face (only because he’s feuding with a heel on another show), but everyone else is are just people in a gray area. Not gray as in “ultra cool tweener!” but gray as in “dense fog.”
Hey, what date is RAW on, Paul? I forget. Almost as fun as how the “This is really going to be Heyman’s new vision” has flipped overnight to “Heyman had nothing to do with this show; is still a god.”
ECW rankings!
1) RVD
2) Kurt Angle
3) Big Show
4) Sabu
5) off all the people who ever came thru ECW, Big Gudio, because he’s a tall guy
23243) everyone else
Dangling carrots
– “wait till it’s in front of an ECW-only crowd” – if it’s shot and booked the same, the ECW crowd will be crapping on it by then (if not sooner), and regardless of where it is, it’ll still be a WWE production under WWE control
– “wait till the New Breed premieres” – if they were so high on pushing new people, why was Kelli the only one to show on a show they were cramming everyone in on?
– “wait till after Vengeance and the RAW guys are gone” – they sure don’t seem to have faith to take off the training wheels now – if things go south quick, they’re not going to do it later either.
Line I shied away from: The first time we saw Kelli, my initial thought was “OMG, they’re doing a transvestite gimmick.” They could’ve been a bit more flattering to her, but, hey, whatever gets you on National TV.
That show’s rating is largly unimportant, unless they get the quarters and find out people were leaving already. Next week’s the key, and they’ll probably hot shot something as an apology.
I’ve got bleacher tickets today, and I’m so tired. Stupid cable.