“Big Wrestler vs. Little Wrestler”

Today we look at Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on opposite ends of the size and ‘extreme’ spectrum.

Two of the best lucha libre wrestlers for (EC-F’N-W) wrestling were Psychosis and his arch rival Rey Mysterio. The match was stipulated as a ‘Mexican Death Match’, so that after a pin-fall or submission was scored, the wrestler then had 10 seconds to get to his feet and continue or forfeit. Both of these luchadors personified what Extreme Championship Wrestling (EC-F’N-W) was all about. Rey and Psychosis brought it to us using hi-flying-fast paced wrestling moves, innovate ways to use chairs and tables, and brawls right in the middle of the screaming wrestling fans. Interestingly, Mysterio actually plays a heel that winds up getting cheered by the crowd at the end of the match.

Rey Mysterio vs Psychosis in a Mexican Death Match

video source: Dailymotion

This next match took place in 2008 at the infamous Hammerstein Ballroom where most of the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) events were held. It marks a very significant turning point in the history for ECW after this event, the promotional name was slowly phased into nothing but a slogan. The current Exteme Championship Wrestling title holder, The Big Show, took on the Animal, Dave Batista, for the ECW Championship. As the competitors enter the ring, you’ll notice immediately that the crowd is very hostile to both wrestlers and continues jeering them throughout the entire match. The crowd pops only once when the bout is finished and Sabu, with chair in hand, appears and attacks Big Show in typical extreme fashion. Many news sites reported that Vince McMahon swore this was the last time ECW would ever be at the Hammerstein.

Batista vs The Big Show for the ECW Championship

video source: Dailymotion

So, what separates these two Extreme Championship Wrestling clips in my opinion?

In the first clip, the intensity between Mysterio and Psychosis fed the crowd. Not only were high risk stunts performed in the ring, but also into the crowds and at ringside. Chairs were used in innovative ways that drew my attention and both wrestlers performed at such a caliber that the fans wound up cheering both the heel and hero of the match. The fact that both wrestlers were small in stature had no impact on the excitement and extremity of their respective performances.

In the second clip, it seems as if The Big Show and Batista relied on their respective reputations to sell the match and expected the crowds to feed them. The Big Show cheated (and lamely I might add) to win and should not believably need to do so. If World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) would have let him be extreme, The Big Show could still be holding which ever title he wanted. Nothing extreme really happened until Sabu appeared with chair in hand and stole the show with approximately 30 second of air time.

It’s also interesting to note that the BIG WWE corporation is afraid to use Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) the way the SMALLER company did to try and appeal to an older crowd.

What do YOU think about ECW now and then?

Check back @ Extreme Championship Wrestling Reports or grab a feed.

Caution! Extreme! This means you!

The word ‘extreme‘ is defined as follows :

1 a : existing in a very high degree b : going to great or exaggerated lengths c : exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected
2 archaic : last
3 : situated at the farthest possible point from a center
4 a : most advanced or thoroughgoing b : maximum (sport) that involves an unusually high degree of physical risk.

This is what was personified in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) until World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought the company out of bankruptcy. This match featuring ‘Mr. Pay-Per-View”, Rob Van Dam, facing the ‘Submission Machine’, Taz, is extreme in every way.

Bill Alfonso, RVD’s manager at the time and ex-manager of Taz, was the most extreme, trailer dwelling, trash talking, whistle blowing manager to ever grace a wrestling ringside. Van Dam seethed with extreme confidence in his abilities and exuberated extreme arrogance. Taz presented an extreme power and submission style of wrestling and attitude that, at times, even trumped Van Dam’s. Of course, as with all main events in pre-WWE ECW matches, somehow a table and/or a chair would find themselves extremely useful in getting the crowd pumped.

These wrestlers knew the meaning of the words ‘extreme’ and this televised non-pay-per-view match shows that while WWE was piddling around with heavy story-lines and pretty divas, there was another organization of wrestlers who brought forth the ‘extreme’.

Rob Van Dam vs Taz in a televised match.

The current Extreme Championship Wrestling title holder Christian (Cage) battled with the un-impressive, over-rated, under-talented, Ric Flair wanna-be, Zakk Ryder. If you’ll remember, Ryder side-kicked for Edge, yet did not do squat for his career when given the opportunity to stand out. No, the only thing Ryder has is done is look ridiculous, charm twits, and dress extremely bad. Christian, on the other hand, is a wonderful ECW Champion. Capturing and projecting the one thing that makes ECW successful. The willingness to talk trash, then get in the ring and back it up no matter what the cost.

Zakk Ryder vs Christian in a televised match. 

Still waiting for something “extreme” to happen.

Looking at today’s WWE owned Extreme Championship Wrestling, you are tempted think that the name is just a brand. While there are extreme wrestlers within the WWE ranks, including such draws as Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio,and etc.. none of them are used on this, supposed ‘extreme’, show. While Christian (Cage) and Tommy Dreamer have tried to save it’s  legacy, it seems WWE television is steering away from the ‘extreme label’ so it can never, reasonably, be compared to the growing popularity of the Mixed-Martial-Arts (MMA) groups. Quite honestly, I believe it may be time for WWE to entertain the idea of changing the name of the show and letting it die an honorable death.

What do you think of the world of Extreme Championship Wrestling?

October 9th, 2009

In this week’s Extreme Championship Wrestling Report: The Past & The Present. We will be flashing back through time to ECW’s past and comparing it’s history with it’s present .

Be prepared, to be stunned by the differences.

The following, is a match that took place on May 16th, 1999, during the Extreme Championship Wrestling event entitled “Hardcore Heaven”. You’ll hear the incredibly multi-talented Joey Styles at the  announce table along with seeing one of the most hated managers in the business, Bill Alfonso, annoyingly blowing his whistle during the entire match. During this time, ECW was aired on TNN television for an hour on a weekly basis, but had little to offer in the way of production value (as you can see). The wrestling match features “Mr. Pay-Per-View“, Rob Van Dam pitting the ECW World Television Championship title against “The New F’N Show“,Jerry Lynn.

The next event, took place on has prothe SyFy cable network, on August 4th, 2009, in a what World Wrestling Entertainment calls ECW. I chose this match in particular because it is currently one of the most hard core/extreme match the brand has produced under the WWE banner. This video features “Captain Charisma“, Christian (Cage) in more of a fight than a wrestling match with, “The Innovator Of Violence“, Tommy Dreamer in a match stipulating hard core rules.

So, after over a decade (ten years) of continually holding a one hour cable television slot, which Extreme Championship Wrestling production do you think offers/offered the best product and why?

Leave a comment and let me know if you like Heyman ECW or WWE ECW and why?

]]> http://prowrestlingpages.com/2009/10/extreme-championship-wrestling-report-10-09-2009/feed/ 0 http://prowrestlingpages.com/2009/10/extreme-championship-wrestling-report-10-08-2009/ http://prowrestlingpages.com/2009/10/extreme-championship-wrestling-report-10-08-2009/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:50:06 +0000 Slammin' http://prowrestlingpages.com/?p=2121 Has Extreme Championship Wrestling turned into the Lawler cliche’ “extremely crappy wrestling”?

When the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion was touring in the early to mid 1990′s, the promotion (under the direction of Paul Heyman) became thee most exciting wrestling broadcast to watch. While many theories exist on why ECW got so popular so quickly, one thing is for sure. The ECW brand under World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is but a shadow of it’s former self. While acknowledging the fact that WWE television has the best produced wrestling entertainment broadcasts available, poor story-lines, lack of creative direction,  and a small roster has decimated an organization that once showcased some of the newest and toughest wrestling stunts ever performed on live television.

Great artists such as Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn, Team 3D, Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, and Taz, to name a few, worked in an organization that had very little income, terrible story lines and plots, and even worse photography. Yet, when the bell rang, the role reversed and you were enthralled by the violence and sheer realism of the matches. I remember Rob Van Dam diving out into the audience 3 rows into the crowd to land a move on his opponent. I watched Sabu perform some of the most innovative moves with chairs and tables as weapons, Jerry Lynn astounded audiences with his wrestling excellence, the innovator of violence was born in 90′s ECW, Bubba Ray and Devon Dudley were born, Taz was an unstoppable submission machine, and Rhino violently gored his way through the roster. I remember Mike Awesome, regularly, power-bombing the competition through tables and  Chris Candido talking some of the best trash in the business. Mick Foley had some of the most brutal matches he’s been involved in, while New Jack was defining the word “violence”. These are just a small fraction of the memories of what made me religiously tune in to EC-F’N-W.

The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) had historically catered to children and young adults, but, we all grow up and old wrestling tricks become increasingly apparent. I surmise that the WWF tried to capture this moment with the “Attitude Era”, but failed to maintain it’s attitude due to life long fans bringing their children to live shows. Another problem was that RAW IS WAR was the only televised WWF event that saw any viewer response. During this time, ‘The King’ Lawler used to refer to Extreme Championship Wrestling as “extremely crappy wrestling”, but the truth was, the WWF could not televise the ferocious intensity of an ECW wrestling match without a constant barrage of backlash.

Currently, Extreme Championship Wrestling is in complete disarray in comparison to RAW and Smackdown. So, what to do? I’m not sure, with Linda McMahon’s political ambitions, that anything can be done. If wrestling becomes more violent or chauvinistic then her campaign will surely suffer. While there are great performers on the ECW roster, the lack of known talent is plaguing the ranks of the entire organization. Due to the stance WWE has taken on PG ratings has made it extremely difficult for the company to grow with it’s audience and it finds itself in familiar territory as rival promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling offers a brand that markets to the young adults and older crowds.

Opinionated as I am, I would love to see WWE lose the PG rating for ECW only and open up to both the TNA and ROH promotions, allowing top talents in all three brands to showcase extreme wrestling matches inter-promotionally. The exposure for the younger brands would be invaluable and the WWE could gain that ever elusive “grown-up crowd” without a lot of the hassles involved in signing someone full-time. Imagine, if you will,  TNA and ROH promos on ECW and vice versa, and the matches with pay-per-view possibilities are endless for all three parties.

“Vince”… “Dixie”… maybe it’s time to shake hands and realize the competitive roles your respective companies play could, very well, benefit you both.

This concludes the Extreme Championship Wrestling Report for October 8th, 2009.

Check back regularly @ ProWrestlingPages.com or grab a feed.

Extreme Championship Wrestling episode #160 started with general manager “Tiffany” announcing that the new line up was no cause for alarm. My first thought was.. does this completely invalidate the WWE draft? Then, as if to certify my thought, the first match occured.

Shelton Benjamin vs some Japanese jobber for the WWE. What a joke! Shelton is finally getting a personality and gets crowned with one shot by a noob. This is crap. Benjamin is talented, he just needs acting lessons.

In the next set, we get more “extreme” with a completely unenlightening interview of the Bella Twins by a new interviewer named “Abraham Washington”. This was the worst. Not only was Washington anything but entertaining, the Bella Twins acted like 16 year old kids. If Extreme Championship Wrestling wanted to live up to it’s name, one of the Twins should have attacked the other. I didn’t get it but maybe they are going somewhere with this?

ECW presents two noobs against eachother.. my immediate thought was “Oh Tiffany, your night just gets better and better”… Shamus vs Oliver John. Shamus is this huge red headed Irishman that looks a lot like a biker. Three things that stood out were his music, his look, and his in-ring performance. The series of wrestling moves leading up to his finishing move was great.. the finisher was a killer. Looked wicked.
He still lacks in character, when he introduced himself at the beginning of the match, it was slightly… uhm.. silly. But he’s a noob and his performance caused decent crowd reaction which is rare in recent ECW performances.

The final match of the night (yes, there were only three folks, but the show’s not in trouble Tiff) was Extreme Championship Wrestling’s title holder (and true extreme wrestler) Tommy Dreamer and Christian vs William Regal and Vladimir Koslov. The first thing I noticed is Koslov lost the tightie whities, which is a relief to me since my kid’s not asking why that Russian guy is out there in his underwear, he struck me as more believable than his previous appearances. He limited the amount of successive head butts and actually wrestled a great match. Christian and Dreamer are both hardcore wrestlers and belong with the “Extreme Championship Wrestling” brand. Dreamer shows he is a veteran in the ring, using the ropes and his opponents mistakes against them and Christian’s dropkicks and hi-flying style were peak. Finally, William Regal was a perfect compliment as his partner ending the match with Koslov getting the pin-fall on a blind tag to Regal.
Oops, Koslov tagged and stood there looking at Regal and waiting for him to get out of the ring? What is he thinking? Tommy saves the performance for him, taking a nasty looking slam for the pin.

This edition of Extreme Championship wrestling was decent, but it started out slow and boring. With Shelton Benjamin and the Bella Twins starting the show, there should have been more action and less talk. Both need character development, but giving them half the show to do it in is a bit ridiculous IMHO.