How can I get into ECW?

[praguepride]

I don't mind the "new" promos. I am developing a huge soft spot for the Cactus Jack/Mikey Whipwreck features. Props to Mick Foley, people don't give him nearly enough credit for his mic skills.

 

However I don't need to see the same promo week after week. After the Sandman cane match they have a "recap" of it every single show. I would say about 5-10 min is "recap from the week before" which is fine on regular tv but in binge format...SKIP! (or stretch my legs for a bit...)

[Kijar]

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.

 

I don't mind the "new" promos. I am developing a huge soft spot for the Cactus Jack/Mikey Whipwreck features. Props to Mick Foley, people don't give him nearly enough credit for his mic skills.

 

However I don't need to see the same promo week after week. After the Sandman cane match they have a "recap" of it every single show. I would say about 5-10 min is "recap from the week before" which is fine on regular tv but in binge format...SKIP! (or stretch my legs for a bit...)

 

Yep yep, I should re-iterate that I also enjoy a good majority of the segments (I don't have time for 911 or anyone like that haha, sorry Paul E), but like prague is saying, the shows are chalk full of recaps from the episode I just watched, and sometimes it takes up half the episode. I thoroughly enjoy when we get "taken back to this past weekend" and half the episode of Hardcore TV is a killer match from a Supershow they did. That kind of stuff I love.

 

I just feel like ECW really cared about the fans, man.

[praguepride]

ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW!

 

Joey: OH MY GOD LISTEN TO THAT CROWD AT THE SOLD OUT ECW ARENA! THIS IS PANDAEMONIUM!!

[franticloser]

Yep yep, I should re-iterate that I also enjoy a good majority of the segments (I don't have time for 911 or anyone like that haha, sorry Paul E), but like prague is saying, the shows are chalk full of recaps from the episode I just watched, and sometimes it takes up half the episode. I thoroughly enjoy when we get "taken back to this past weekend" and half the episode of Hardcore TV is a killer match from a Supershow they did. That kind of stuff I love.

 

I just feel like ECW really cared about the fans, man.

 

Keep in mind these shows where never meant to be binged through, they where shown on local affiliates and so having those recaps helped in case you missed a week because it aired at like 2 am on a Sunday.

[JJArocho]

ECW, at its core between 1992-1997, was the genesis for a renegade company spearheaded by Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman coming in after leaving WCW in 1993. If you're going to start watching, look for some of the earlier episodes on Youtube or Dailymotion. I don't know how Heyman did it, but he was able to procure rights to use music from artists and bands until 1999, and so once you find these same episodes on the 'E, you're going to come to find out that 98% of all the music has been heavily dubbed with either WWE versions of them or generic MIDI crap.

[Makhai]

ECW, at its core between 1992-1997, was the genesis for a renegade company spearheaded by Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman coming in after leaving WCW in 1993. If you're going to start watching, look for some of the earlier episodes on Youtube or Dailymotion. I don't know how Heyman did it, but he was able to procure rights to use music from artists and bands until 1999, and so once you find these same episodes on the 'E, you're going to come to find out that 98% of all the music has been heavily dubbed with either WWE versions of them or generic MIDI crap.

 

The record industry has a sliding scale based on audience size. Which heavily favors small applicants and heavily penalizes large companies. Licensing songs from top acts were basically free before he got PPV, it probably jumped up after that, but he still didn't have a TV deal. So the rights were still dirt. Then he got the TNN deal in 1999. This was one of the teething pains you have when you get too big too fast. And why every company who's tried to go from small to National has failed without a major TV contract.

[Kijar]

Keep in mind these shows where never meant to be binged through, they where shown on local affiliates and so having those recaps helped in case you missed a week because it aired at like 2 am on a Sunday.

 

That's what I was saying, silly

[JudasCradle]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Makhai" data-cite="Makhai" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50045" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The record industry has a sliding scale based on audience size. Which heavily favors small applicants and heavily penalizes large companies. Licensing songs from top acts were basically free before he got PPV, it probably jumped up after that, but he still didn't have a TV deal. So the rights were still dirt. Then he got the TNN deal in 1999. This was one of the teething pains you have when you get too big too fast. And why every company who's tried to go from small to National has failed without a major TV contract.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Actually they used a loophole where the music wasn't a direct feed and they called it ambiance. They basically played the music into a mic that then went through the speakers. They planned to use licensed music when they went to TNN but then never did. They even put out an album basically that were covers of the original themes like Kilgore doing Walk and Motorhead doing Enter Sandman but then they never used those either except for Ballz & Axl version of Big Balls.</p>

[praguepride]

MOTY: 2 Cold Scorpio vs Dean Malenko. Nov 29th 1994. Absolutely fantastic match.

[Kijar]

MOTY: 2 Cold Scorpio vs Dean Malenko. Nov 29th 1994. Absolutely fantastic match.

 

Just wait for Dean O's next feud.

[brat99]

MOTY: 2 Cold Scorpio vs Dean Malenko. Nov 29th 1994. Absolutely fantastic match.

 

Just wait for Dean O's next feud.

 

That was an awesome match, I just watched it last night. Praguepride, it seems we are bingeing at about the same pace.

[praguepride]

Joey Styles is the man.

 

<in the ring 911 chokeslams a japanese wrestler>

 

Joey: THIS IS FOR THE TRADE DEFICIT!!

 

Like...I can't even.

 

[brat99]

<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>Joey Styles is the man.<p> </p><p> <in the ring 911 chokeslams a japanese wrestler></p><p> </p><p> Joey: THIS IS FOR THE TRADE DEFICIT!!</p><p> </p><p> Like...I can't even. </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="giphy.gif" data-src="https://media.giphy.com/media/12msOFU8oL1eww/giphy.gif" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Almost as good...</p><p> </p><p> <in ring Tommy Dreamer hits Stevie Richards down low with a frying pan></p><p> </p><p> Joey: Tommy Dreamer just scrambled a couple of eggs!</p><p> </p><p> Finally figured out bookmarks on Xbox1 and have started moving through things a bit faster. Can't get over how good Al Snow's first two matches were in ECW. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him in ECW, since WWF/E saddled him with comedy stuff and never really let him shine all that much.</p>

[brashleyholland]

As someone who caught up on ECW via VHS and DVD from around 2001 or so (around the time they closed probably), it was a fun ride. I was about 16-17 at the time and very much of the age where I thought I was too old to be watching wrestling, so having something that was a lot more adult orientated was pretty cool.

 

I suppose the worst thing about going back through it all on the network will be the music (and I don't know if they censor some of the more graphic violence/language). Guys like RVD, Sandman, New Jack, Balls Mahoney...their music was such a big part of it. To a lesser extent, even Tommy Dreamer with "Man In A Box" or Justin Credible with "Snap Your Finger, Snap Your Neck"...the songs were so key.

 

Some personal bits from 99-01, which was my favorite period...

 

Awesome/Tanaka

Rhyno's monster run

Any combination of Tajiri/Super Crazy/Little Guido/Mikey Whipwreck/Tony Mamaluke

Cyrus The Virus on comms

The Roadkill/Doring tag team

The Taz/Awesome ECW title situation that ended up with a Tommy Dreamer/Justin Credible match that instantly created ECW's new most-hated heel.

Steve Corino's rise from comedy side show to legit main eventer and *that* match with Jerry Lynn.

[brashleyholland]

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.

 

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.

 

I had all (I think) of the UK VHS/DVDs releases of the PPVs, pretty sure they all had the original music? Been almost 20 years mind so could be talking absolute rubbish!

[Jaysin]

Wait until you get to Jerry Lynn vs RVD, Steve Corino, and Rhino's awesome run.

[Kijar]

Just got to November to Remember 1995 with Buh Buh cutting an amazing little promo, talking s*** about his own stutter gimmick and such. Where's everyone else at? This was a pretty enjoyable show and would love to discuss.

[BHK1978]

A few weeks ago I was going through some old stuff and I came across a bunch of old wrestling programs. One of them was from an ECW show in Massachusetts that I went to. It must have been right after Shane Douglas broke Gary Wolfe's neck because that was the big topic in the program, for lack of a better term it was more of a newsletter.

 

I remember initially I had bad seats for the show that I bought the program at and ECW management ended up giving everyone ringside seats because nearly the entire crowd had bought cheap seats. Anyway, I did not want ringside seats because I knew the wrestlers sometimes ended up in the crowd and I did not want to deal with that, but I did not really have a choice in the matter because they were not allowing anyone to sit in the cheap seats. I mean it makes sense because even though it was a house show they still filmed it to show clips and it would look terrible on television to have a sparse crowd at ringside and have nearly the entire upper balcony sold out.

 

I also came across a bunch of old ROH "programs" as well, once again for lack of a better term it was just a sheet of paper listing the matches.