In a mere couple of hours, fans will get a chance to see the original ECW............again. They'll see a one off show featuring some of the talents that made the independent promotion a cult favorite.................again. They'll see their favorite talents from the original shows in tip top shape..............wait. Is anyone else getting the feeling that this entire thing is nuts? Me too, which is why you shouldn't pander to TNA by purchasing this Pay Per View.
ECW is beginning to remind me of Brett Favre. No matter how many times it says goodbye, there is still some idiots out there that keep pushing for "one more time". This message is taken to be the majority and they keep coming back like that annoying girl in high school that just didn't understand how annoying she really was. Segue to TNA. This so-called wrestling promotion has been pandering to the smallest contingency of wrestling fans for years, and are always looking to be "innovative" and "unique". Everything they do seems to be seeking approval, as if after each Impact goes off the air, the company is asking you "did ya like it? did ya? did ya? did ya?"
TNA is the unpopular kid trying to do what the cool kids do and hoping that group notices and wants to hang with them. Of course, most realize that they are helpless wannabes, thus their stagnant position in the way of TV ratings and Pay Per view buys. The latest in the "look at us, we're cool!" campaign is the takeover of the Hard Justice pay per view by EV 2.0 (TNA's lame name for ECW originals since they can't use the term ECW). Apparently, TNA ran testing to find out what fans liked. Without getting in to the stupidity of their testing, let's just look at the results. Apparently, ECW tested out well with whatever target group took these things, so ECW is what TNA has brought us......sort of. Forget that what people probably liked about the original ECW was the young lucha libres, the innovative booking and the unique characters. Instead, TNA is bring you the same Lucha Libres 15 years later, the innovative ideas when they are no longer innovative, and the unique characters when they are outdated.
The saddest part of this whole charade is that it has been done before.........more than once. ECW did its blowoff as a company before they were bought out by WWE. Then, they invaded WWE along with WCW and reeked havoc until they were beaten and became part of the WWE. That was 2001, and just like my favorite Passover song Dayeinu, it would have been enough.
Then in 2005, with more ECW talents under contract and Paul Heyman still employed, WWE decided to pull the trigger on a Pay Per View to give the ECW guys one shot to "be themselves". Present were the original promoter, announcer, many of the wrestlers, and a place intricate to ECW's originals (Hammerstein Ballroom). This show did a fantastic job to relive the magic of ECW even if the talents were a little older. Again, it would have been enough.
A year later, due to overwhelming fan support, the event was brought back. It did not have the same luster as the first, but it saw Rob Van Dam beat John Cena for the WWE title and thus, an ECW talent was finally on top of WWE. Dayeinu, it DEFINITELY should have been enough.
Of course, the ECW name was brought back for a separate program in the WWE lineup and contained many of the original ideas from ECW, but that soon faded and all that was left was a name. The program served to showcase new talent, but ECW fanatics were not happy. However, the concept was now almost a decade gone and had certainly seen better days. It should have been enough, but apparently, TNA felt it was not.
Due to "ruining the concept", TNA feels that they have to "do it right". Of course, this means putting on a show at the Impact Zone (2000 miles from ECW's birth) with talent averaging 45 years of age and no marketability in today's wrestling world, and without the original announcers and promoters. Yup, it will certainly recapture that old time feel.
This is event will generate cheers from the Impact Zone because sand could generate cheers from those degenerates, but that doesn't mean you should cheer or even watch. This is a disgrace to the marginal talents that will appear in the first place. In no way will this resemble quality wrestling, and in no way will it resemble the carnage that defined ECW shows. Where does that leave this show? In the middle, marketing itself to nobody, which is why you, as somebody, should not buy this show. As much as I respect anyone who has worked as a wrestler, don't pander to Tommy Dreamer's crocodile tears. Boycott this show and make TNA have to at least try and give you a decent wrestling show with their young talent.
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