praguepride Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I grew up during the Attitude Era and I remember hearing nothing but praise for late 90s ECW and now that I have a bit of disposable income available I was thinking back about it and wondering how I should get into ECW. Where should I start? Where should I end? Should I just bite the bullet and subscribe to the WWE Network and plug away at shoes or is there a great dvd "summary" i can do to skip several years. I know next to nothing about ECW other than snippets here and there and I do like following storylines so just a match highlight reel doesn't give me the complete picture. Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Self Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 <p>When I was a teenager, I got into it by buying VHS tapes of the PPV shows. They had them in shops over here. I started with Living Dangerously 1999 and was hooked from the opening Super Crazy vs Tajiri match. I don't remember the TV show being much to write home about, so I would just go with the PPV shows. Although I'd go back further than I did. </p><p> </p><p> It's a shame the Network dubs over the music (to be fair, so did the later VHS releases) as it robs the shows of some of the atmosphere.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franticloser Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 So it kind of depends. Barely Legal 1997 was their first PPV but then you miss Foley, Austin, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Psicosis, Mysterio, and The Eliminators. If you don't mind watching the early stages I'd say start at the August 30th 1994 Hardcore TV. This show features the Dreamer vs. Sandman match where Dreamer gets caned and becomes the heart of ECW, Shane Douglas winning and throwing down the NWA title, and the official change from Eastern to Extreme Championship Wrestling. You'll then get to go through and watch the rise of Raven, Cactus Jack's Antihardcore gimmick/Cane Dewey, and Austin being Austin for the first time. Plus the influx of the cruiserweights and other guys mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINisher Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 WWE Network has the ECW PPV's from Hardcore Heaven '95 to Guilty as Charged '01. I don't know how edited they are though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 <p>Thanks, that is a great point. I think the WWE network is the only feasible way to watch those shows. I single season of Hardcore TV was up on amazon for like $150 which is over a year of the network.</p><p> </p><p> I hate giving Vince the money but I realized only now that despite being a huge WWF Atitutde Era fan almost all my favorite wrestlers came up through ECW: Dudleyz, Austin, Foley, Tazz, RVD, Angle, Benoit</p><p> </p><p> Good call on the 1994 start date.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franticloser Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 While giving money to Vince is a valid issue. Think of it this way, giving money to Vince allows the wrestlers who work for Vince to have money to get paid from. Even more so right now, sticking it to McMahon or WWE is just screwing over the wrestlers. So a month or two of the network can help make sure they have a revenue stream to pay the workers. Yay positive spin! I started going back and rewatching 96-00 of WWF because I grew up a WCW kid and didn't watch WWF as much back then so I missed a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 Okay so help me out. I pulled up the August Hardcore TV. I'm watching 911 and Doink open (lol). Who's who on the roster. Given I know nothing except for the few ECW guys who went onto WWF in the 00's who should I know, who should I respect? Who should I have Goldberg levels of contempt for on their completely ridiculous push compared to their crappy in-ring ability? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franticloser Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Well the last part I won't say due to it being a personal preference. Tommy Dreamer and Sandman are a huge part of what is coming as is Raven. Shane Douglas will be the focus and everyone has a different opinion on whether he deserved that or not. Besides that just enjoy the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
licensetochill23 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Okay so help me out. I pulled up the August Hardcore TV. I'm watching 911 and Doink open (lol). Who's who on the roster. Given I know nothing except for the few ECW guys who went onto WWF in the 00's who should I know, who should I respect? Who should I have Goldberg levels of contempt for on their completely ridiculous push compared to their crappy in-ring ability? As someone who watched during that era of ECW TV (though not every week, as it was constantly being rescheduled and was hell trying to find it on our local network), I felt like I should maybe chime in here. Paul E had such an eye for talent that there are honestly a lot of studs and very few duds in the company at that point in time, and even the guys with obvious flaws are booked well enough that their shortcomings aren't super glaring. Honestly, most of the guys you've gotta watch are the ones you probably already know: Dreamer, Raven, Austin, Cactus Jack, Sabu, etc. Taz didn't really become Taz until 1996, but he was still good as the Tazmaniac. You may not have seen a lot of Terry Funk outside of his few appearances with WWF in the late 90s, but he's basically the elder statesman of ECW even in the mid-90s and a guy everyone loves and respects for the miles on the road he's put in. Some guys who really did some of their best work in ECW and who you may not have seen much of in WWE are Dean Malenko (also great in WCW, don't get me wrong, but Paul E really made him look like a killer in ECW), 2 Cold Scorpio (a performer who was way ahead of his time), The Eliminators and Mikey Whipwreck. Brian Pillman also had a crazy memorable (or maybe memorably crazy) run in 96. Shane Douglas was also a huge deal in ECW, though I feel like his matches often failed to live up to the promos and storylines he was a part of (particularly the never-ending feud he had with the Pitbulls in 96). As far as guys who were over-pushed at the time... eh, depends on your preferences and how you define over-pushed. 911 is basically just a chokeslam, but that's also how he's used. Jason was never all that great in the ring, but his character work usually made up for it and he eventually transitioned to managing, which was where he belonged. The only guys I really wasn't a fan of were Shane Douglas (see above) and Justin Credible, who got a huge push despite being, in my opinion, a bland, fairly average all-around performer (though he doesn't show up until 97). I'd be interested to hear your takes while watching, though, as it's been a hell of a long time since I've seen any of this stuff. Curious to know if it still holds up as well as I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franticloser Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I'd be down as well, I might start watching during work tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 Absolutely loving 2 Scorpio. I can’t believe he didn’t become bigger. It is amazing watching Mick Foley in his prime alongside Mikey Whipwreck. Only three shows in and digging the Mikey push. Watching it you can see the transition of product and right now Shane Douglas and his “wrestling as sport” 20 minute showcase does stick out compared to what the rest of the roster is doing. I can understand the division on Shane but he is very skilled I think. Just wrong kind of product for the hardcore fans. Right now I am not really invested in Dreamer vs Sandman. The whole “aggressively kissing a woman and making her fall in love with me through sheer magnetism” is pretty cringey from a modern perspective. From wikipedia I get they needed to beat the crap out of Dreamer to break his pretty boy persona but right now Sandman is a pretty dull villain imo. Last thing is watching the piledrivers and chair shots to the hear is legit horrifying when you hop on wikipedia and see where these guys ended up. Rockin’ Rebel ended up murder-suiciding as well. I know they didn’t know but it is bizarre seeing something so innovative and yet barbaric at the same time. Anyway I am hooked! Vince can have my money until I burn through the ECW backlog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHK1978 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 If you are into 1980's WWF (or even some non-WWF promotions) you can always check out earlier ECW as well. Granted that part of the promotion's history has not held up or aged well compared to after Shane threw the title in the garbage. But you did have the likes of Eddie Gilbert, the Dark Patriot, Terry Taylor, Pat Tanaka, The Warlord, Kevin Sullivan, Tito Santana, Jimmy Snuka, Nikolai Volkoff, King Kong Bundy, Don Muraco, and the previously mentioned Terry Funk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franticloser Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Absolutely loving 2 Scorpio. I can’t believe he didn’t become bigger. It is amazing watching Mick Foley in his prime alongside Mikey Whipwreck. Only three shows in and digging the Mikey push. Watching it you can see the transition of product and right now Shane Douglas and his “wrestling as sport” 20 minute showcase does stick out compared to what the rest of the roster is doing. I can understand the division on Shane but he is very skilled I think. Just wrong kind of product for the hardcore fans. Right now I am not really invested in Dreamer vs Sandman. The whole “aggressively kissing a woman and making her fall in love with me through sheer magnetism” is pretty cringey from a modern perspective. From wikipedia I get they needed to beat the crap out of Dreamer to break his pretty boy persona but right now Sandman is a pretty dull villain imo. Last thing is watching the piledrivers and chair shots to the hear is legit horrifying when you hop on wikipedia and see where these guys ended up. Rockin’ Rebel ended up murder-suiciding as well. I know they didn’t know but it is bizarre seeing something so innovative and yet barbaric at the same time. Anyway I am hooked! Vince can have my money until I burn through the ECW backlog. Well you know 2 Cold did have a decent WCW run prior to this and we all know the legendary greatness of Flash Flunk ./sarcasm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blodyxe Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 While it's not the answer to your direct question, I feel like starting a TEW save around that time could help you get even more invested. Happened to me before a couple of times. Plus you can explore the multitude of wrestling show text reviews, or old magazines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makhai Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="praguepride" data-cite="praguepride" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50045" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I grew up during the Attitude Era and I remember hearing nothing but praise for late 90s ECW and now that I have a bit of disposable income available I was thinking back about it and wondering how I should get into ECW.<p> </p><p> Where should I start? Where should I end? Should I just bite the bullet and subscribe to the WWE Network and plug away at shoes or is there a great dvd "summary" i can do to skip several years. </p><p> </p><p> I know next to nothing about ECW other than snippets here and there and I do like following storylines so just a match highlight reel doesn't give me the complete picture.</p><p> </p><p> Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I'd probably recommend watching the 3-way dance, right into ECW Barely Legal 97. The ECW TV show is mostly unwatchable now, IMO. There are a few promos and matches that stick out here and there, but its rough. I'd recommend sticking to the PPVs and Supercards because that's where ECW shined.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis1016 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I strongly, strongly recommend you don't watch them from the WWE Network. The original music and content is a huge part of the original experience. You won't have a true understanding of the real product watching from the wwe network. The only way to watch it is go to one of the pro wrestling torrent sites and download the uploaded vhs recordings with all the original content and music. The best is to watch from 1995 onward or skip to 1997 if 1995 is too slow for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makhai Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I strongly, strongly recommend you don't watch them from the WWE Network. The original music and content is a huge part of the original experience. You won't have a true understanding of the real product watching from the wwe network. The only way to watch it is go to one of the pro wrestling torrent sites and download the uploaded vhs recordings with all the original content and music. The best is to watch from 1995 onward or skip to 1997 if 1995 is too slow for you. Yeah, you won't understand why anybody liked Sandman with his absolute garbage WWE/ECW theme dubbed over Enter Sandman, as the crowd sing line and verse and they have to mute it completely. And poor RVD coming out to One of a Kind instead of Walk - Pantera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudasCradle Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Yeah, you won't understand why anybody liked Sandman with his absolute garbage WWE/ECW theme dubbed over Enter Sandman, as the crowd sing line and verse and they have to mute it completely. I've noticed alot of times on the network they pretty much just cut out his entire entrance because of it which is unfortunate. New Jack's awful dubbed theme over Natural Born Killaz is the absolute worst though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kijar Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I strongly, strongly recommend you don't watch them from the WWE Network. The original music and content is a huge part of the original experience. You won't have a true understanding of the real product watching from the wwe network. The only way to watch it is go to one of the pro wrestling torrent sites and download the uploaded vhs recordings with all the original content and music. The best is to watch from 1995 onward or skip to 1997 if 1995 is too slow for you. I'd definitely recommend jumping on 1994 when Hardcore TV really starts, skipping 95 would be a travesty as you would miss the latter half of the Malenko-Guerrero wrestling showcase/rivalry. Started binging from 1994 early on this year, as I am a young man of 23 I didn't have the luxury of watching as this was just before my time and when I was a wee lad. I think its a beautiful thing to see this crowd get invested in all sorts of matches, from wild brawls to quality singles matches, to messy tag team matches. The crowd makes the show (good or bad) althroughout. I can't wait to get to RVD, but seeing Malenko (finally was able to appreciate this man), Guerrero (my personal favorite, God-tier wrestler), Scorpio, Douglas, Dreamer, Sandman, Raven (his debut promo is chilling), Public Enemy (a lot more fun than you might remember), Sabu (one of a kind), Taz (even on commentary), Stevie Richards (underrated) all tearing it up.. and I'm approaching Mysterio's arrival in late 95. Its even cool to hear commentary mention things like Chavito (Guerrero Jr) debuting in Mexico "this past weekend" and things like that. I think anyone else can agree there is no one better suited to calling shows by himself than the one and only Joey Styles. I love his personal relationships with the roster also, getting just as offended as the crowd should and such. Always insulting Richards, without fail, and putting over Mikey's unlikely ability to win, etc. I'm into the early stages of the Dudleyz as well, pretty hilarious. Pitbulls are bad in the ring but they clearly have that big menace stat haha. Quite good tag team division, all things considered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 Joey Styles is amazing <in the ring Matt Borne bites Scorpio’s nose> Joey: “That is some great scientific wrestling from Borne Again!” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat99 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 So it kind of depends. Barely Legal 1997 was their first PPV but then you miss Foley, Austin, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Psicosis, Mysterio, and The Eliminators. If you don't mind watching the early stages I'd say start at the August 30th 1994 Hardcore TV. This show features the Dreamer vs. Sandman match where Dreamer gets caned and becomes the heart of ECW, Shane Douglas winning and throwing down the NWA title, and the official change from Eastern to Extreme Championship Wrestling. You'll then get to go through and watch the rise of Raven, Cactus Jack's Antihardcore gimmick/Cane Dewey, and Austin being Austin for the first time. Plus the influx of the cruiserweights and other guys mentioned above. Just started with the August 23rd 1994 Hardcore TV (by mistake, mean't to start with August 30th) and really enjoying it through the first four episodes. I missed most of the original run of ECW because I watched mostly WCW at the time as it was what I watched as a child turned into. Many fond childhood memories watching TBS on Saturday evenings with my grandfather (with my grandmother in the background cooking and yelling at us for watching rasslin'). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted May 26, 2020 Author Share Posted May 26, 2020 <p>Make sure you have a "fast forward" button handy. I like the ECW storylines and their talent is phenomenal but their angles sometimes go way to long and so far half the angles are just recaps of the last episode.</p><p> </p><p> It sucks WWE Network doesn't have proper music but the plus side is it bookmarks each episode making it easy to skip 10 minute recaps...</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat99 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="praguepride" data-cite="praguepride" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50045" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Make sure you have a "fast forward" button handy. I like the ECW storylines and their talent is phenomenal but their angles sometimes go way to long and so far half the angles are just recaps of the last episode.<p> </p><p> It sucks WWE Network doesn't have proper music but the plus side is it bookmarks each episode making it easy to skip 10 minute recaps...</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I watch through my xbox1 so I can't use bookmarks, but it hasn't been a problem as I have been watching ECW and taking breaks now and then to check on watcher sims as I make changes to my CVerse India mod.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kijar Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Make sure you have a "fast forward" button handy. I like the ECW storylines and their talent is phenomenal but their angles sometimes go way to long and so far half the angles are just recaps of the last episode. It sucks WWE Network doesn't have proper music but the plus side is it bookmarks each episode making it easy to skip 10 minute recaps... Yeah, most angles are pretty useless in the binge format. But I gotta say, I would've never had trouble catching up from the week before if I watched at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat99 Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Kijar" data-cite="Kijar" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50045" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Yeah, most angles are pretty useless in the binge format. But I gotta say, I would've never had trouble catching up from the week before if I watched at that point. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I don't mind the angles all that much. It's actually been kind of cool to see the likes of 2 Cold Scorpio and Public Enemy actually have a personality which is something they never really showed IIRC in other companies. Plus, in some cases I think they were brilliant on the part of Paul E. and ECW.....can't count how many times I've seen the highlights of Dreamer-Sandman Singapore Cane Match, but it works because they were trying to get Tommy over as the heart of ECW.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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