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| As
I sit here, about to write my first column for ECW2k, I look at my clock.
It is a Friday night, and the time is 8 o clock. Sometimes, when I’m not
really thinking (which is often), my instincts take over, and because of
this, I change the station to TNN. As I press the remote and switch the
channel to 33A, I am assaulted by a picture of big 18 wheeler and the title
“18 Wheels of Justice” scrawled across the screen. Not that I find anything
wrong with “18 Wheels of Justice” (big rigs blowing crap up…what’s not
to like! Woohoo!), but it is now where near the level of quality programming
that ECW was at. But sadly, I think to myself: ECW is gone, long live ECW.
Since this has happened before, I won’t be surprised when 1AM on Sunday morning comes along. At this point, my brain is usually beyond tired (I’m weak, I know), and sometimes I instinctively change the to channel to 27A, which is the Spanish Channel in Boston. Instinctively I turn the channel to 27A, to be greeted by some Spanish soap opera. And I think to myself: ECW is gone, long live ECW. I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, or if it is just me being a retarded moron. But when I think about it, the reality hits me: ECW is gone forever. |
El Loco Hombre Misses This.
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| Paul
Heyman is now a WWF commentator. RVD is wrestling in indy shows, mainly
UPW. Sabu is in XPW and has been the World Champion for a year and still
counting. Taz is nothing more then a commentator with a couple of matches
thrown in. Stevie Richards has been stuck in a gimmick long past it’s prime.
Raven and Rhino are stuck in a dismal WWF Hardcore Division. Sandman is
auctioning himself off on Ebay. Jerry Lynn is defending the WWF Lightweight
belt on Jakked shows which are only watched by about four people. The Dudley
Boys are receiving a decent push in the WWF Tag scene. Mike Awesome was
stuck in one of the worst gimmicks ever (and I’ve seen a lot of crap, but
this…this was just horrible) in WCW as the 70’s guy. Lance Storm was a
strong contender in the WCW U.S Heavyweight division before WCW was bought
out by WWF and put in a hiatus. Justin Credible is jobbing with the likes
of X-Pac and Albert. For all we know, Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer are
dead. Masato Tanaka returned to Japan to resume his successful career in
FMW. As I look at the wrestlers that I just mentioned (I Know I left out
a lot of wrestlers, but I wanted to just use some wrestlers to prove a
point), the majority of them are nothing more then lower to mid card status
guys, with a couple of exceptions. As I watch some of these wrestlers,
they seem to be former shells of what they used to be in ECW. I think of
how some of the were treated as gods by the fans in one of the most famous
arenas in wrestling, the ECW Arena, and others treated as they just shot
the fans’ mothers’.
These wrestlers used to hold such power over the ECW audience, they were able to captivate them, maybe with a couple of words, or a gesture, or an action that spoke for itself. Now, most of them are lucky to even get a decent pop from the crowd. I remember the fact that all these men put on some of the greatest god damn matches I have ever seen, some whose matches were the stuff of legends, and feuds that were so intense, that they were right up there with the Flair vs. Steamboats, Hogan vs. Andre the Giants, NWO vs. WCWs (hey, it was good in the beginning before they beat it like a dead horse), the TL Hoppers vs. the Duke the Dumpster Drosdys (Well…maybe not the last one.) but you get the point. These men risked life and limb to give that crowd their money’s worth. And sometimes I think to myself, stop comparing wrestlers past and present: ECW is dead, all that is left are unpaid checks. |
Dead?
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| Whenever
a thought like that comes through my head, I look in my media library,
through some of my taped ECW PPV’s, or my Japanese tapes with ECW wrestlers,
and of course the ECW DVDs. Last night, I decided to go with Extreme Evolution,
the first ECW DVD released. As I watched it, I marveled at the aerial and
technical masterpiece that was the classic RVD vs. Jerry Lynn confrontation
at Hardcore Heaven ‘99. I was awestruck by the death defying 30 foot elbow
drop on Terry Gordy by Perry Saturn. And finally, after watching the Sabu
vs. Taz match from Barely Legal, the one thought dominant in my head was
a simple chant started at the ECW Arena many moons ago, that goes a little
something like “E-C-Dub, E-C-Dub, E-C-Dub”. But after the DVD ends, and
my DVD player turns off, I’m brought back into the sad reality of: ECW
is gone, long live ECW.
And that’s what I’m here for, and that’s what ECW2k is here for. As long as this site is running, anyone in the world can come here or to many other numerous ECW fan sites, and relive some of their favorite ECW moments. This site is running for the simple purpose of keeping the ECW dream alive, and to introduce a whole new generation to a brand of wrestling that left a deep mark in the history of wrestling, a company that brought “hardcore” to the mainstream, and out to the masses. The company that set the standard for long complex storylines and matches that got more then 5 minutes to entertain the crowd. So in the end, we still have to live with the fact that ECW is gone, but we can take comfort in knowing that the memories and name of ECW will live on forever. |
A Classic!
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