ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
BY SAMJERRY
“WHAT PAUL E. HAS WROUGHT, LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER”
OR
“ECW, ECW, ECW …..ECW”
VISIT MY WEB SITE: http://members.aol.com/samjerry
We have now seen two ECW Specials; one put on by Shane Douglas (Hardcore
Homecoming), and the other (One Night Stand – PPV) by The WWE. Both exceeded all expectations. I suspect the Buy Rate for One Night Stand will come close and possibly be higher than Wrestlemania. The love for ECW is still there as shown by the crowd and their reaction.
On One Night Stand, Paul E. Shithook, Evil Genius, gave a promo that had to shake the foundation of the building in Stamford, CT. The Emperor gave Paul E. a free hand and the product shows. He put the screws into Good Old Eric (GOE) like never before, calling things as they really happened. If that didn’t give The Emperor indigestion, then Rob Van Dam (RVD) did. RVD finally had a chance to speak out without the shackles he has been wearing. He called it as he sees it … he has never been allowed to be RVD since signing with The WWE. Even the so called “Invasion” by The WWE didn’t hurt the show as many feared. In fact, The Invaders got their asses kicked by the ECW locker room. Stone Cold Beer Man (SCBM) appeared and was his old self, kicking ass and taking names. He had GOE cut to ribbons, 3-D’d by The Dudley Boyz and then finished him off with a Stunner.
On Hardcore Homecoming, Shane Douglas dared The WWE to match what he put together. He had a Three-Way Barb Wire Match that featured himself, Terry Funk (The Two-Hundred Year Old Hardcore Maniac) and Sabu (The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Craziest Bastard That Ever Put Tights On), with Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) and Socko getting involved. Socko got wrapped in the wire and Funk pinned Douglas. It was one hell of a show.
A debate as to which of the two was the better show will go on for a long, long time. Maybe what The Emperor needs to consider doing is putting The WWE back together again, and restarting ECW. The fan base is there to support ECW as a viable product. Putting The WWE back together can only make things better. Knowing how devoted The Emperor is to RAW and SmackDown, that isn’t likely to happen. Starting ECW as a stand alone, with the talent from The WWE returning will weaken both RAW and SmackDown.
The Emperor has created a monster that he may not be able to control. The fans want ECW. In fact, I think it’s safe to safe that they demand it. I watched One Night Stand with Grandpa Dudley. He is betting that when the PPV Buy Rate comes in, and when The Emperor sees the sales of the Hardcore Homecoming VCR/DVD sales, he is going to have to do something. Grandpa Dudley is betting that The WWE will hold more ECW PPV’s, and possibly sign some of the talent from both ECW shows.
All I can say is “ECW, ECW, ECW …… ”
